System and method for generating tickets on demand

ABSTRACT

According to one aspect, provided are systems and methods for generating unrestricted games (e.g. promotional games) that preserve predetermination and/or do not introduce chance elements into the games while at the same time reduce the overhead associated with generating and maintaining entries (i.e. tickets) into the games. As part of systems and methods for creating ticketed entries, values can be assigned to any of one or more of players, game machines, or games. These values can used as unique identifiers. Additionally, information already associated with any one or more of the players, game machines, or games can also be used to generate these values. The values can have static components and can be combined with dynamic components, that can be used individually, separately, or in combination. In one example a predetermined numeric value is used, stored as part of a record. In another, static information can be used to generate the numeric value, or a component of the value. Once the value, in some examples a seed, is obtained the value is used with a deterministic function to provide deterministically an output. The output permits retrieval of an outcome from for example a prize matrix of predetermined game outcomes. According to another aspect, the systems and methods provided permit deterministic ticket generation without having to generate and/or maintain the entries for any game.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application also claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/141,837 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHODFOR GENERATING TICKETS ON DEMAND,” filed on Dec. 31, 2008.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention relates generally to gaming, and moreparticularly to determining and presenting ticketed entries into gamesin an on demand fashion.

BACKGROUND

Conventional gaming activities may require the generation of numerousoutcomes associated with particular games. In some gaming systems, gametickets are used to encode the game outcomes on a one to one basis. Inone example, a lottery system may generate thousands if not millions ofoutcomes for a particular game series. The game outcomes can be dividedin outcome pools, where certain prizes may be retained for pools thatbecome available towards the end of the game period. The outcome poolsand sub pools may need to be maintained during the course of the game.Some examples require shuffling of the outcome pools, and in some casesrestatement of game parameters where certain prizes have been won andare no longer available. Legal requirements impose obligations on theoperation of games that include wagers and/or constitute gambling of anykind. In a real world example, scratch ticket games need to be accuratein their promotion, if for example, all the large jackpots have been wonfor a particular scratch game—the game operator cannot continue toadvertise the availability of the large jackpots in association with thegame.

Conventionally, this problem may be addressed using pools of outcomes,and scheduling at least one pool with a large jackpot that becomesavailable towards the conclusion of the game period. There issignificant overhead associated with generation of the outcomesrequired, both in terms of physical need for tickets, in the scratchticket example, but also in the electronic gaming space, where theoverhead is representative of the computational effort in generating,maintaining, storing, and verifying the outcomes, among other examples.

SUMMARY

These requirements on game operators, among others, highlight the needfor improved methods of maintaining game outcomes, improved methods ofgenerating outcomes, and the need for meeting various requirements ofgaming law imposed on the particular game while reducing the overheadassociated with game operation/outcome determination and maintenance.Further, improved methods and systems are needed to generate anddistribute tickets to players to provide any game outcome.

One approach to ticket generation and delivery that has been employedinvolves the use of electronically delivered tickets. Each ticketrepresents/or may be linked to an outcome to be selected and played onone of the distribution terminals providing the game. The created gametickets are divided into at least two game ticket batches. The firstticket batch may be played, that is a ticket made available to playersfor a specified period of time. The second batch is not played, and canbe maintained in a monitored state. The ability to have one of the gamebatches in a monitored state while the other game batch is being playedovercomes some recognized disadvantages associated with ticketed gaming.In particular, it is recognized that the need for monitoring pay-outs,number of tickets played, and the need to redistribute tickets mayrequire suspension of gaming. Switching over to play of the second batchwhile the first is being monitored allows gaming to continue, and viceversa. For example, it is appreciated that separating ticket batches(e.g. a play and a monitor ticket batch) does not alleviate the overheador maintenance associated with created tickets (electronic or papervarieties, among others). In particular, the requirements imposed on agame operator/provider do not change because multiple batches ofelectronic tickets are created, and at least two sets of tickets arerequired for every game, so that the monitoring/auditing associated withtickets can be performed while another batch is being played, in effectdoubling the associated overhead. Ultimately this solution actuallymagnifies the problems involved in ticketed gaming—the creation andmaintenance of game tickets. As will be discussed in greater detailbelow, it is realized that eliminating the tickets themselves may solvea number of issues associated with establishing, maintaining andre-tuning ticketed outcomes.

In some promotional on-line gaming activities, a player is provided anopportunity to, for example, play a game online in order to reveal apredetermined award or promotional item. Delivery of the promotionaloffer typically includes issuance of a “ticket” that is some physicalform of an entry into the promotional game. Further, there may beelectronic representations of entries that can be used to revealpromotional items (e.g., representations that can be emailed, associatedwith frequent player identifier and later redeemed, etc.).

Using conventional promotional gaming models an operator is obliged togenerate a ticket/outcome for every potential player. In other words,every invitation to play a promotional game needs an associated ticketto provide access to the promotional game and provide for revelation ofa predetermined result, whether it be a win, a loss, or an opportunityfor another win or loss in another game. Similar problems are found inother games as well. It is realized that any game that requires outcomegeneration, maintenance, and/or validation may benefit from methods andsystems for on demand outcome generation and on demand ticketgeneration. By employing outcome generating values and associating themwith players, games, and gaming machines (among other examples) theoverhead associated with outcome generation, delivery and maintenancecan be reduced. According to one aspect, an outcome generating value isused as an input into a deterministic function, the deterministic outputmay then be used to recover an outcome for a game based on any set ofparameters established for awarding prizes. In one example, employing anoutcome generating value, a deterministic function, and a set ofparameters governing prizes enables generation/retrieval of outcomes asneeded, eliminating the need for generating outcomes in advance,maintaining outcomes, predetermination of outcomes, and/orredetermination of outcomes based on changed parameters.

Conventional methods of generating tickets and predetermining outcomessolve issues associated with providing predetermined outcome promotionalmaterials, but the static form of ticketing employed results insignificant wasted overhead to manage, maintain, and account forpromotional material. Presently, average redemption rates forpromotional material is estimated around 2-3% with some estimates beingas low as 1%. In a conventional ticketing process, 97-99% of the effortinvolved in determining eligibility, generating eligible player tables,matching eligible players to awards, and maintaining the same (includingadding new players, removing old players, etc.) is wasted. As the sizeand scope of promotions increase this waste becomes larger as well. Evenwith respect to smaller promotion populations, the potential waste isstill significant. Indeed, over multiple runs and/or multipleimplementations the potential waste becomes massive. For example, in apromotional game that has one million outcomes for seven differentgames, seven million outcomes need to be created, stored and delivered.Over multiple runs of the same game, or even through simultaneous runs,the number of required outcomes can become astronomical.

In computer systems that track game outcomes, promotional or otherwise,it becomes unwieldy to track large numbers of outcomes. In one example,there may exist 1 million outcomes for a particular game. Because acomputer system may track outcomes for a number of games, the number ofoutcomes that need to be generated, tracked and delivered becomesexcessively large, and such systems do not scale well for large numbersof required outcomes. The scaling issues become exacerbated by multiplegame runs, and are multiplied over the number of different games.Scaling issues may even be increased when multiple ticket batches areused in a game. In some games, each such batch may even be used withsubpools of outcomes, making the maintenance task even more complex andtime consuming.

It is realized that one option of reducing the overhead associated withconventional ticket/outcome generation includes the use of ticket pools.By creating a pool of tickets a game operator could reduce the number ofneeded tickets to a level commensurate with the percentage of actualredemptions, reducing ticket overhead on the order of 97%. Thus ticketpools associated with results may be employed. In one example, ticketpools can be used in a promotional game space to reduce outcomegeneration overhead. However, ticket pooling options suffer fromdrawbacks.

By implementing ticket pools, gaming regulations may apply to games thatwere previously exempt. In a ticket pool setting, a player redeeming apromotion or playing an online game to reveal a promotional award wouldreceive a ticket from the pool in the order they attempted to redeemthem. In an example that includes predetermined outcomes, even thoughthe pool has predetermined results associated with the tickets in thepool, for each player there is introduced an element of chance dependingon the order in which the tickets are provided. Introducing elements ofchance may make a game subject to gaming regulation, and in the example,the promotional game would require rigorous review by gaming commissionsin order to receive approval, and that approval could only be found in alimited number of jurisdictions. Thus, introducing elements of chance inoutcome determination may severely limit, for example, promotional gamesmaking them in a practical sense useless as the promotion can onlytarget limited portions of potential players populations who resided inlocations where such games are permitted, or who are willing to travelto a location where such games are permitted. One should appreciate thatticket pools may be used in such locations. In an example, the trade offbetween the loss of permitted play jurisdictions and the gains inimplementing a simplified ticketing process weights in favor of such animplementation. One should also appreciate that it would be reasonableto employ ticket pooling in those jurisdictions.

In other gaming situations the introduction of an element of chance doesnot affect the regulatory status of the game. For example, in a videolottery setting, ticket pools may be associated with a particularmachine and even though a player may impact whether he wins or loses bythe order of redemption, the nature of the game is not affected byplayer's order of redemption.

According to one aspect, it is realized that there is benefit ingenerating an unrestricted promotional game that preservespredetermination and/or does not introduce chance elements into a gamewhile at the same time reduces the overhead associated with generatingand maintaining entries (i.e. tickets) into the promotion. One canimplement promotional games without pregeneration and/or maintenance oftickets, while maintaining predetermination of outcomes. Prior to aticket generation request, values can be assigned to any of one or moreof players, game machines, or games as some examples. Additionally onemay use information already associated with any one or more of theplayers, game machines, or games to generate these values. The valuescan have static components and dynamic components, that can be usedindividually, separately, or in combination. In one example, apredetermined numeric value is used, stored as part of a record. Inanother, static information can be used to generate the numeric value,or a component of the value.

According to at least some embodiments, the value can be used toresolve, predictably and repeatably (in conjunction with a deterministicfunction), a mapping to a stored outcome when a ticket generationrequest is received, without the system or method knowing at the time ofthe request what outcome a particular request will be provided.According to another aspect, it is realized that there is value inissuing and responding to game participation requests and/or gameoutcome generation requests at or near the time a request is receivedregardless of the underlying game involved. In one embodiment, a valueassociated with at least one of a player, a game, and a game machine isused as an input into a deterministic function, and the output of thefunction is then used to derive a ticket value. Parameters can beassigned for any game by a game operator and/or a promotion operatorthat define outcomes that can be achieved in the game. In one example,the output of the function is interpreted against outcome parameters fora given game and an outcome obtained. In at least some embodiments, theoutcome can be stored and a ticket generated. The ticket can betransmitted in response to a ticket generation request and the ticketused to permit redemption of the stored outcome.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer implementedmethod for generating ticketed entries into a game is provided. Themethod comprises the acts of providing for compensation rules governingthe game having the ticketed entry, accepting, by a communicationinterface, a ticket request, the ticket request including ticketgeneration information, generating, by a processor, an input valuebased, at least in part, on the ticket generation information,calculating, by a processor, an output value, wherein the act ofcalculating the output value includes an act of inputting the inputvalue into a deterministic function, obtaining, by a processor, a gameoutcome from the compensation rules using the output value, andproviding for creation of a ticket for the game outcome. According toone embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises anact of accepting additional information associated with the ticketgeneration request. According to another embodiment of the invention,the act of obtaining the game outcome from the compensation rules usingthe output value includes an act of selecting, by the processor,compensation rules using the additional information. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the additional informationcomprises at least one of a value estimate for a player, a playerstatus, a player membership level, a referral network status, a referralnetwork value, a global player value estimate, a global playermembership level, an affiliated location membership status, an onlinegaming membership status, a social network membership status, anaffiliated location membership level, an online gaming membership level,and a social network membership level.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method furthercomprises an act of storing the ticket generation information. Accordingto another embodiment of the invention, the act of storing the ticketgeneration information includes an act of storing the information as atleast a part of a player record. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the act of storing the ticket generation information includesan act of storing the information as at least part of a ticket record.According to another embodiment of the invention, the ticket generationinformation is pre-printed on another ticket. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an act ofcommunicating a ticket over a communication interface. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an actof creating a ticket generation value. According to another embodimentof the invention, the act of creating the ticket generation valueincludes an act of creating a unique seed value.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the act ofgenerating, by a processor, the input value based, at least in part, onthe ticket generation information, includes an act of combining theticket generation information and at least a portion of the additionalinformation. According to another embodiment of the invention, themethod further comprises an act of generating a numerical representationof the additional information. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the act of calculating, by a processor, the output value,further includes an act of inputting the input value into a pseudorandom function, and wherein the output value comprises a randomizedvalue, wherein the same randomized value is output upon the input of thesame input value. According to another embodiment of the invention, theact of obtaining, by a processor, a game outcome from the compensationrules using the output value, includes an act of employing therandomized output value as at least one of a look up value into acompensation table, an index into a compensation table, an index into aprize schedule, a value for retrieving a database record, a value forretrieving a row of a table, and an input into a mapping function.According to another embodiment of the invention, the act of providingfor creation of the ticket for the game outcome includes an act ofassociating, indirectly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the act ofassociating, indirectly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation includes act of creating an access code, permitting accessto the game outcome by accepting an input of the access code. Accordingto another embodiment of the invention, the act of providing forcreation of the ticket for the game outcome includes an act ofassociating, directly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation. According to another embodiment of the invention, the actof associating, directly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation includes an act of encoding the outcome in the ticketcreation information. According to another embodiment of the invention,the act of encoding the outcome does not include encoding game playinformation in the ticket creation information. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an act ofcreating a ticket for entry into the game.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the deterministicfunction comprises a pseudo random number generator. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the act of accepting, by acommunication interface, a ticket request, includes an act of acceptingthe ticket request from a game machines with the ticket generationinformation associated with the game machine. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the game machine includes at least one of avideo lottery terminal, a pull-tab game machine, and a Class II gamingmachine having predetermined outcomes.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer-readablemedium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, as aresult of being executed by a computer, instruct the computer to performa method for generating on demand ticketed entries into a game isprovided. The method comprises acts of providing for compensation rulesgoverning the game having the ticketed entry, accepting a ticketrequest, the ticket request including ticket generation information,generating an input value based, at least in part, on the ticketgeneration information, calculating an output value, wherein the act ofcalculating the output value includes an act of inputting the inputvalue into a deterministic function, obtaining a game outcome from thecompensation rules using the output value, and providing for creation ofa ticket for the game outcome.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method furthercomprises an act of accepting additional information associated with theticket generation request. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the act of obtaining the game outcome from the compensationrules using the output value includes an act of selecting, by theprocessor, compensation rules using the additional information.According to another embodiment of the invention, the additionalinformation comprises at least one of a value estimate for a player, aplayer status, a player membership level, a referral network status, areferral network value, a global player value estimate, a global playermembership level, an affiliated location membership status, an onlinegaming membership status, a social network membership status, anaffiliated location membership level, an online gaming membership level,and a social network membership level.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method furthercomprises an act of storing the ticket generation information. Accordingto another embodiment of the invention, the act of storing the ticketgeneration information includes an act of storing the information as atleast a part of a player record. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the act of storing the ticket generation information includesan act of storing the information as at least part of a ticket record.According to another embodiment of the invention, the ticket generationinformation is pre-printed on another ticket. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an act ofcommunicating a ticket over a communication interface. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an actof creating a ticket generation value. According to another embodimentof the invention, the act of creating the ticket generation valueincludes an act of creating a unique seed value.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the act ofgenerating, by a processor, the input value based, at least in part, onthe ticket generation information, includes an act of combining theticket generation information and at least a portion of the additionalinformation. According to another embodiment of the invention, themethod further comprises an act of generating a numerical representationof the additional information. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the act of calculating, by a processor, the output value,further includes an act of inputting the input value into a pseudorandom function, and wherein the output value comprises a randomizedvalue, wherein the same randomized value is output upon the input of thesame input value. According to another embodiment of the invention, theact of obtaining, by a processor, a game outcome from the compensationrules using the output value, includes an act of employing therandomized output value as at least one of a look up value into acompensation table, an index into a compensation table, an index into aprize schedule, a value for retrieving a database record, a value forretrieving a row of a table, and an input into a mapping function.According to another embodiment of the invention, the act of providingfor creation of the ticket for the game outcome includes an act ofassociating, indirectly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the act ofassociating, indirectly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation includes act of creating an access code, permitting accessto the game outcome by accepting an input of the access code. Accordingto another embodiment of the invention, the act of providing forcreation of the ticket for the game outcome includes an act ofassociating, directly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation. According to another embodiment of the invention, the actof associating, directly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation includes an act of encoding the outcome in the ticketcreation information. According to another embodiment of the invention,the act of encoding the outcome does not include encoding game playinformation in the ticket creation information. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an act ofcreating a ticket for entry into the game.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the deterministicfunction comprises a pseudo random number generator. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the act of accepting, by acommunication interface, a ticket request, includes an act of acceptingthe ticket request from a game machines with the ticket generationinformation associated with the game machine. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the game machine includes at least one of avideo lottery terminal, a pull-tab game machine, and a Class II gamingmachine having predetermined outcomes.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer implementedmethod for generating ticketed entries into a game is provided. Themethod comprises the acts of providing for compensation rules governingthe game having the ticketed entry, accepting, by a communicationinterface, a ticket request, the ticket request including a ticketgeneration value, generating, by a processor, an input value based, atleast in part, on the ticket generation value, calculating, by aprocessor, an output value, wherein the act of calculating the outputvalue includes an act of inputting the input value into a deterministicfunction, obtaining, by a processor, a game outcome from thecompensation rules using the output value, and providing for creation ofa ticket for the game outcome. According to one embodiment of thepresent invention, the method further comprises an act of acceptingadditional information associated with the ticket generation request.According to another embodiment of the invention, the act of obtainingthe game outcome from the compensation rules using the output valueincludes an act of selecting, by the processor, compensation rules usingthe additional information. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the additional information comprises at least one of a valueestimate for a player, a player status, a player membership level, areferral network status, a referral network value, a global player valueestimate, a global player membership level, an affiliated locationmembership status, an online gaming membership status, a social networkmembership status, an affiliated location membership level, an onlinegaming membership level, and a social network membership level.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method furthercomprises an act of storing the ticket generation value. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the act of storing the ticketgeneration value includes an act of storing the value as at least a partof a player record. According to another embodiment of the invention,the act of storing the ticket generation value includes an act ofstoring the value as at least part of a ticket record. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the ticket generation value ispre-printed on another ticket. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the method further comprises an act of communicating a ticketover a communication interface. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the method further comprises an act of creating the ticketgeneration value. According to another embodiment of the invention, theact of creating the ticket generation value includes an act of creatinga unique random seed value.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the act ofgenerating, by a processor, the input value based, at least in part, onthe ticket generation value, includes an act of combining the ticketgeneration value and at least a portion of the additional information.According to another embodiment of the invention, the method furthercomprises an act of generating a numerical representation of theadditional information. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the act of calculating, by a processor, the output value,further includes an act of inputting the input value into a pseudorandom function, and wherein the output value comprises a randomizedvalue, wherein the same randomized value is output upon the input of thesame input value. According to another embodiment of the invention, theact of obtaining, by a processor, a game outcome from the compensationrules using the output value, includes an act of employing therandomized output value as at least one of a look up value into acompensation table, an index into a compensation table, an index into aprize schedule, a value for retrieving a database record, a value forretrieving a row of a table, and an input into a mapping function.According to another embodiment of the invention, the act of providingfor creation of the ticket for the game outcome includes an act ofassociating, indirectly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the act ofassociating, indirectly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation includes act of creating an access code, permitting accessto the game outcome by accepting an input of the access code. Accordingto another embodiment of the invention, the act of providing forcreation of the ticket for the game outcome includes an act ofassociating, directly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation. According to another embodiment of the invention, the actof associating, directly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation includes an act of encoding the outcome in the ticketcreation information. According to another embodiment of the invention,the act of encoding the outcome does not include encoding game playinformation in the ticket creation information. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an act ofcreating a ticket for entry into the game.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the deterministicfunction comprises a pseudo random number generator. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the act of accepting, by acommunication interface, a ticket request, includes an act of acceptingthe ticket request from a game machines with the ticket generation valueassociated with the game machine. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the game machines includes at least one of a video lotteryterminal, a pull-tab game machine, and a Class II gaming machine havingpredetermined outcomes.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer-readablemedium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, as aresult of being executed by a computer, instruct the computer to performa method for generating on demand ticketed entries into a game isprovided. The method comprises acts of providing for compensation rulesgoverning the game having the ticketed entry, accepting a ticketrequest, the ticket request including a ticket generation value,generating an input value based, at least in part, on the ticketgeneration value, calculating an output value, wherein the act ofcalculating the output value includes an act of inputting the inputvalue into a deterministic function, obtaining a game outcome from thecompensation rules using the output value, and providing for creation ofa ticket for the game outcome.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method furthercomprises an act of accepting additional information associated with theticket generation request. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the act of obtaining the game outcome from the compensationrules using the output value includes an act of selecting, by theprocessor, compensation rules using the additional information.According to another embodiment of the invention, the additionalinformation comprises at least one of a value estimate for a player, aplayer status, a player membership level, a referral network status, areferral network value, a global player value estimate, a global playermembership level, an affiliated location membership status, an onlinegaming membership status, a social network membership status, anaffiliated location membership level, an online gaming membership level,and a social network membership level.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method furthercomprises an act of storing the ticket generation value. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the act of storing the ticketgeneration value includes an act of storing the value as at least a partof a player record. According to another embodiment of the invention,the act of storing the ticket generation value includes an act ofstoring the value as at least part of a ticket record. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the ticket generation value ispre-printed on another ticket. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the method further comprises an act of communicating a ticketover a communication interface. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the method further comprises an act of creating the ticketgeneration value. According to another embodiment of the invention, theact of creating the ticket generation value includes an act of creatinga unique random seed value.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the act ofgenerating, by a processor, the input value based, at least in part, onthe ticket generation value, includes an act of combining the ticketgeneration value and at least a portion of the additional information.According to another embodiment of the invention, the method furthercomprises an act of generating a numerical representation of theadditional information. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the act of calculating, by a processor, the output value,further includes an act of inputting the input value into a pseudorandom function, and wherein the output value comprises a randomizedvalue, wherein the same randomized value is output upon the input of thesame input value. According to another embodiment of the invention, theact of obtaining, by a processor, a game outcome from the compensationrules using the output value, includes an act of employing therandomized output value as at least one of a look up value into acompensation table, an index into a compensation table, an index into aprize schedule, a value for retrieving a database record, a value forretrieving a row of a table, and an input into a mapping function.According to another embodiment of the invention, the act of providingfor creation of the ticket for the game outcome includes an act ofassociating, indirectly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the act ofassociating, indirectly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation includes act of creating an access code, permitting accessto the game outcome by accepting an input of the access code. Accordingto another embodiment of the invention, the act of providing forcreation of the ticket for the game outcome includes an act ofassociating, directly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation. According to another embodiment of the invention, the actof associating, directly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation includes an act of encoding the outcome in the ticketcreation information. According to another embodiment of the invention,the act of encoding the outcome does not include encoding game playinformation in the ticket creation information. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an act ofcreating a ticket for entry into the game. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the deterministic function comprises apseudo random number generator. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the act of accepting, by a communication interface, a ticketrequest, includes an act of accepting the ticket request from a gamemachines with the ticket generation value associated with the gamemachine. According to another embodiment of the invention, the gamemachines includes at least one of a video lottery terminal, a pull-tabgame machine, and a Class II gaming machine having predeterminedoutcomes.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer implementedmethod for generating ticketed entries into a game is provided. Themethod comprising the acts of providing for compensation rules governingthe game having the ticketed entry, accepting, by a communicationinterface, a ticket request, the ticket request including ticketgeneration information, generating deterministically, by a ticketserver, an input value based, at least in part, on the ticket generationinformation, calculating, by the ticket server, an output value, whereinthe act of calculating the output value includes an act of inputting theinput value into a deterministic function, obtaining, by the ticketserver, a game outcome according to the compensation rules using theoutput value, and providing for creation of a ticket for the gameoutcome. According to one embodiment of the present invention, themethod further comprises an act of accepting additional informationassociated with the ticket generation request. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the act of obtaining the game outcomeaccording to the compensation rules using the output value includes anact of selecting, by the ticket server, a set of compensation rulesusing the additional information. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the additional information comprises at least one of a valueestimate for a player, at least a portion of information underlying thevalue estimate, a player status, a player membership level, at a portionof information associated with a player record, a referral networkstatus, a referral network value, a global player value estimate, aglobal player membership level, an affiliated location membershipstatus, an online gaming membership status, a social network membershipstatus, an affiliated location membership level, an online gamingmembership level, and a social network membership level.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method furthercomprises an act of storing the ticket generation information. Accordingto another embodiment of the invention, the act of storing the ticketgeneration information includes an act of storing the information as atleast a part of one of a player record, a ticket record, a game record,and a game machine record. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the compensation rules define at least one prize matrix.According to another embodiment of the invention, the ticket generationinformation is pre-printed on another ticket. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an act ofcommunicating a ticket over a communication interface. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an actof creating a ticket generation value. According to another embodimentof the invention, the act of creating the ticket generation valueincludes an act of creating a unique seed value. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the act of generating, by a processor, theinput value based, at least in part, on the ticket generationinformation, includes an act of combining the ticket generationinformation and at least a portion of the additional information.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method furthercomprises an act of generating a numerical representation of theadditional information. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the act of calculating, by a processor, the output value,further includes an act of inputting the input value into a pseudorandom number generator, wherein the output value comprises apredictable randomized value, wherein the same randomized value isoutput upon the input of the same input value. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the act of obtaining, by a processor, agame outcome from the compensation rules using the output value,includes an act of employing the randomized output value as at least oneof a look up value into a compensation table, an index into acompensation table, an index into a prize matrix, a look up into a prizematrix, a value for retrieving a database record, a value for retrievinga row of a table, and an input into a mapping function. According toanother embodiment of the invention, the act of providing for creationof the ticket for the game outcome includes an act of associating,indirectly, the game outcome with ticket creation information. Accordingto another embodiment of the invention, the act of associating,indirectly, the game outcome with ticket creation information includesact of creating an access code, permitting access to the game outcome byaccepting an input of the access code.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the act ofproviding for creation of the ticket for the game outcome includes anact of associating, directly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation. According to another embodiment of the invention, the actof associating, directly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation includes an act of encoding the outcome in the ticketcreation information. According to another embodiment of the invention,the act of encoding the outcome does not include encoding game playinformation in the ticket creation information. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an act ofcreating a ticket for entry into the game. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the deterministic function comprises apseudo random number generator. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the act of accepting, by a communication interface, a ticketrequest, includes an act of accepting the ticket request from a gamemachine with the ticket generation information associated with the gamemachine. According to another embodiment of the invention, the gamemachine includes at least one of a video lottery terminal, a pull-tabgame machine, and a Class II gaming machine having predeterminedoutcomes. According to another embodiment of the invention, the ticketgeneration information comprises the input value. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, the method further comprises an act ofderiving the input value from the ticket generation information.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the ticketgeneration information comprises a static portion and a dynamic portion.According to another embodiment of the invention, the input value isbased on at least a portion of the static portion and at least a portionof the dynamic portion. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the dynamic portion is deterministically dynamic. Accordingto another embodiment of the invention, the compensation rules definepredetermined outcomes for the game.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer-readablemedium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, as aresult of being executed by a processor, instruct the computer toperform a method for generating on demand ticketed entries into a gameis provided. The method comprising acts of providing for compensationrules governing the game having the ticketed entry, accepting a ticketrequest, the ticket request including a ticket generation value,generating an input value based, at least in part, on the ticketgeneration value, calculating an output value, wherein the act ofcalculating the output value includes an act of inputting the inputvalue into a deterministic function, obtaining a game outcome from thecompensation rules using the output value, and providing for creation ofa ticket for the game outcome.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a system for printingticketed entries into a predetermined outcome game is provided. Thesystem comprising a ticket creation component configured to generate aticket from ticket creation information where the ticket comprises anentry into the game, and the entry is associated with a predeterminedoutcome in response to a ticket generation request, and a communicationcomponent configured to receive ticket creation information generated byan outcome retrieval component, wherein the outcome retrieval componentis configured to receive a ticket generation request and associatedticket generation information, process the ticket generation informationto obtain a deterministic value from the ticket generation information,retrieve a predetermined outcome for the game using the deterministicvalue, wherein the predetermined outcome is defined prior to the ticketgeneration request from compensation rules for the game, and transmitticket creation information associated with the predetermined outcome.According to one embodiment of the present invention, the ticketcreation component is configured to print a physical ticket. Accordingto another embodiment of the invention, the ticket creation component isfurther configured to process the received ticket creation information,and generate a ticket representation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In thedrawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is shown invarious figures is represented by a like numeral. For the purpose ofclarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example system on which various aspectsof the disclosure can be practiced;

FIG. 2 is an example process for generating tickets for a game ondemand, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an example process for generating a ticket or ticketinformation on demand, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is an example process for obtaining a game outcome in response toa ticket generation request, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5A is an example process for generating prize matrixes, accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is an example process for providing seed information to createon game tickets, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5C is an example process for deriving a seed value can be derivedfrom existing information, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is an example process for delivering ticket generationinformation, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an example process for incorporating additional information,according to one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an example process for generating a deterministic output,according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an example process for providing information to determine agame outcome, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example distributed computer systemupon which various aspects of the present disclosure can be practiced;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of computer system upon which various aspectsof the present disclosure can be practiced;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating components of a computer systemupon which various aspect of the present disclosure can be practiced;and

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a computer system upon which variousaspect of the present disclosure can be practiced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to one aspect, an unrestricted promotional game is providedthat preserves predetermination and/or does not introduce chanceelements into a game while at the same time reduces the overheadassociated with generating and maintaining entries (i.e. tickets) intothe promotion. According to one embodiment, a player is associated witha value that permits generation of tickets when needed. In one example,the value may be a seed value. In another example, the value may bederived through a randomly generated number (the number includes anumber of digits sufficient to uniquely identify the player). In yetanother example, a membership number may already be associated with aplayer and the membership number may be used as the value. Anotherexample includes using portions of a membership number, and still othersinclude generating random values that uniquely identify a player basedoff of a membership number and/or identifier. Other embodiments canemploy global player identifiers. According to one embodiment, ticketgeneration values may be derived from information available for aparticular player. In one example, a ticket generation value is createdwhen a request for a ticket is sent with the information available forthe player, optionally part of the available information may be used inother examples. In another example, the ticket generation value mayalready exist, and in yet another example, the ticket generation valuemay be stored in a player record.

In at least some embodiments, the value is input into a deterministicfunction to provide a randomized and repeatable output. Exampledeterministic functions include pseudo random number generators. Theoutput of the deterministic function is used to derive an outcome for aparticular entry. In some embodiments, game parameters can be assignedfor any game by a game operator and/or a promotion operator that defineoutcomes that can be achieved in the game. In one example, the output ofthe function is interpreted against outcome parameters for a given gameand an outcome obtained. In at least some embodiments, the outcome canthen be stored and a ticket generated. The ticket or a representation ofthe ticket can be transmitted in response to a ticket generation requestand the ticket or representation used to permit redemption of the storedoutcome as an entry into a game is needed.

According to another aspect, provided is a method and system forresponding to game participation requests and/or game outcome generationrequests at or near the time a request is received regardless of theunderlying game involved. In one embodiment, a value associated with aplayer is used as an input into a deterministic function, and the outputof the function is then used to derive a ticket value and a ticketcreated. In another embodiment, a value associated with a game machineis used as an input into a deterministic function, and the output of thefunction is used to derive a ticket value. In other implementations, aticket generation value may be associated with a particular game, a gameseries, a series of games, a game name, or other unique game identifier.For example, video lottery terminals with predetermined results maybenefit from the use of a seed value (input) fed into a deterministicfunction. In another example, pull-tab games can use seed value(s) asinputs into a deterministic function to reduce the maintenance andoverhead associated with game tickets. The seed value may be derivedfrom information associated with the pull-tab game on a ticketgeneration request, or in one alternative, derived from informationassociated with a player playing the pull-tab game. One shouldappreciate that any Class II gaming machine that employs predeterminedoutcomes can benefit from the use of ticket generation values anddeterministic functions that permit ticket generation on an as neededbasis.

Other examples include lottery systems that issue instant tickets orvirtual forms of instant tickets via kiosks, point of sale equipment, orInternet-based sales systems. Ticket facsimiles may be presented on akiosk (typically at a lottery retailer) and on a computer monitor fedover the Internet, among other examples (including use of preprintedtickets). On demand ticket generation may also facilitate server-basedgaming and so called online lottery terminals (e.g. Powerball) thatgenerate instant tickets. The online refers to the use of remoteterminals at specific locations as opposed to offline games (e.g.scratch ticket games).

Shown in FIG. 2 is an example process, 200, for generating tickets for agame on demand. At step 202, a request is made to participate in aparticular game having ticketed entries. At step 204 ticket generationinformation is transmitted and received by a ticket generation system.In at least some embodiments, a seed value is received and used as theticket generation information. Optionally at step 206, additionalinformation may be transmitted and received with the ticket generationinformation of 204. Additional information can include a request date,date/time combinations, game name, game machine identifier, playerinformation, player status, as some examples. A ticket generation systemprocesses the received information (ticket generation information andoptionally received information).

In one embodiment, a seed value is combined with dynamic information at208 to generate an input value. The dynamic information can include dateand time. In one embodiment, a static seed value is used in conjunctionwith the dynamic information to achieve a dynamic but predictable inputvalue based on the static seed and the dynamic information. In such afashion a single static seed value can be assigned and used repeatedly,over multiple games, game sessions to achieve predictable, unique, andrepeatable input values. In some implementations, a static seed value isassociated with a player, and each player can assigned a unique seedvalue. For games that require qualification, seed values can be assignedas part of the qualification process.

At 210 the input value is used an input to a deterministic function, forexample a pseudo random number generator. The deterministic functionproduces an output value at 212, that is used to retrieve an outcomefrom a prize matrix at 214. In some implementations there may be morethan one prize matrix, and additional information optionally provided at206 can be used to select from a plurality of prize matrixes at 214. Insome examples, the output value is used as an index into a selectedprize matrix. The outcome can be included in a transmission at 216 thatpermits the requesting entity (e.g. a game server or personal computer)to generate and present a ticket to the entity that initiated theparticipation request.

Alternatively, the ticket generation system can create a ticketrepresentation and transmit the ticket representation to the requestingentity at 216. In some embodiments, the transmission of the ticketrepresentation at 216 or the transmission of ticket generationinformation at 216 permits a physical ticket to be printed and used toaccess the outcome now associated with the ticket. Shown in FIG. 1 is anexample system 100, upon which various aspects of on demand ticketgeneration can be implemented. For example, process 200, of FIG. 2, canbe implemented on system 100. As shown a promotion server 102 isconnected to other servers to accept participation requests in a gameand respond with a ticket representation or ticket information as it isdemanded. As shown, promotion server 102 is connected to a game server110 and a casino management server 106. Game server 110 is configured topermit on-line access to a player population through, for example, theInternet 120. Additionally promotion server 102 is connected to casinomanagement server 106 to permit access to casino and othergaming/gambling environments to the promotional game and/or games madeavailable using promotion server 102. Illustrated are a plurality ofcommunication networks 114-118 permitting bidirectional communicationbetween servers 102, 106 and 110. One should appreciate that shown isone promotion sever 102 that serves both on-line and casinoenvironments, but separate servers, and/or a plurality of servers may beoperatively connected to either environment separately or incombination, further the operations and workload may also be distributedacross a plurality of systems.

A player can access a game server 110 on a computer 122 connectedthrough the Internet 120. The game server 110 can be connected directlyto the Internet 120 or can be connected to the Internet 120 through itsown communication network 114. Game server 110 can host a plurality ofgames, stored for example in database 112, and can include access to apromotional style game as discussed in greater detail herein.Additionally game server 110 can be configured to authenticate and/oridentify a player wishing to participate. In one example, game server110 requires a membership number and authentication information, beforea player can participate in any game. Authentication information can bestored in a database 112 on game server 110. Game server 110 can passthis information onto promotion server 102 through communication network118. Likewise casino management server 106, can provide similarfunctionality. For example, casino management server 106 can beconfigured to authenticate and/or identify a player using a frequentplayer membership number. Player and/or game information can bemaintained on server, for example in database 108. In one alternative,casino management server 106 can pass along identification informationfor players already considered identified and/or authenticated byactivity at a gaming, gambling and/or other establishment connected tocasino management server 106. Identification can also take place onspecific gaming machines. Players can be provided interfaces on displaysof gaming machines, 126-130, in which identifying information can beentered. In one example, card readers are provide on game machines126-130, at 132-136 respectively. A frequent player club member istypically issued a membership card that can be read by card readersinstalled on game machines. Such a player can be identified by forexample server 106 and/or game machines 126-130 by inserting theirplayer card.

Promotion server 102 receives requests from game server 106 and casinomanagement server 106. Requests to participate can include additionalinformation on for example, a player, a game, a game machine, etc.Promotion server 102 can either use the information received directly asinput into a deterministic function or process the received informationto obtain a numerical representation of the information among otheroptions. Promotion server 102 is configured to process an input valuewith a deterministic function to produce an output value used toretrieve an outcome for a particular game. In at least some embodiments,promotion server 102 stores a plurality of predetermined outcomes in aprize matrix in a database 104. Although one should appreciate thatother methodologies of storing predetermined outcomes on server 102 canbe used, and may include for example look up tables, multiple databases,etc. The output value is used to retrieve an outcome from the prizematrix.

Once a request is processed by promotion server 102, a ticket can begenerated. In some examples, this includes generating a ticketrepresentation and transmitting the representation back to therequesting entity. A ticket representation can be transmitted overnetwork 118 to game server 110, and from the game server 110 to acomputer 122. The computer 122 can render the ticket representationdirectly as an electronic display. In some embodiments, the ticketrepresentation can be transmitted to the requestor in order to print aphysical ticket. For example computer 122 can be configured to print aticket using an attached printing device 124. In response to receivingthe ticket representation, computer 112 can print a physical ticket touse to enter into a game, provided for example by game server 110 andredeem a now associated predetermined outcome.

In other examples, promotion server 102, generates information thatpermits a receiving system to create a ticket. For example, a uniqueidentifier associated with the outcome can be bundled into a messagetransmitted to the requesting entity. The transmission includinggeneration information can be sent over communication network 118 togame server 110 and from there to computer 122. Alternatively, gameserver 110 may handle the initial communication from computer 122, andpermit promotion server 102 and computer 122 to talk directly insubsequent communications. In some examples, computer 122 downloadsexecutable modules from game server 110, the modules when executedpermit generation of tickets from generation information received frompromotion server 102.

Promotion server can also be configured to provide ticketrepresentations and/or ticket generation information to casinomanagement server 106, for distribution to any connected gaming machine(e.g. 126, 128, 130). In some examples, casino management server 106,interprets received ticket generation information to permit display ofticket representations on connected game machines. In some embodiments,the casino management server 106 passes ticket generation information tothe connected machines, which interpret the generation information forsubsequent display. In one alternative, the game machines can beconnected to a printing device 138 and in response to either a ticketrepresentation or ticket generation information, a physical ticket maybe printed. Integrated printers can be available on individual gamemachines (e.g. 126, 128, 130).

System 100 can be configured to provide tickets on demand for specificgames, but one should appreciate that the game itself may vary. The gamecan be presented as an amusement game, a wagering game, a sweepstakes,among other examples. In the example system 100, promotion server 102can be configured to resolve requests for entry into a promotional game.In one example, a promotional game has predetermined outcomes. However,the predetermined outcomes are, prior to any request for entry,unassociated with any ticket, player, game machine or other form ofentry record. By having predetermined but unassociated outcomes, themaintenance requirements for the promotional game are significantlyreduced. Typically in games with ticketed entries massive overhead isrequired to provide individual outcomes (predetermined or not) over thecourse of a game, its associated games sessions, and if applicablemultiple iterations of the game.

Deterministic Function

One example of a deterministic function that is employed in someembodiments is a pseudo random number generator (a “PRNG”). In oneexample, the pseudo random number generator has the property ofgenerating a randomized output based on the input value. It isdeterministic in that for a particular value input into the function thesame randomized value is output. Some examples of pseudo random numbergenerators include the Mersenne twister algorithm, stream ciphers, blockciphers, although one should appreciate that other PRNGs may be used.

Shown in FIG. 8, is an example process 800 that can be, for example,incorporated into other processes disclosed for generating tickets ondemand. Example process 800 can be used in conjunction with disclosedsystems for generating tickets on demand. At 802, a deterministicfunction is accessed by a computer system. The computer system can be aspecially programmed general purpose computer system (e.g. FIG. 11,1100). The deterministic function can be stored in a memory location onthe computer system. In one example, a pseudo random number generator isimplemented on the computer system. The pseudo random number generatoris called in response to receipt of an input value for example at 804.The input value is used to start the pseudo random number generator at806 and a randomized output it obtained at 808.

As discussed a seed value can be input into the PRNG. The input value at804 is used to seed the PRNG. For example, the C++ srand( ) function,included in the standard C++ library, accepts an input to start thenumber generator from a particular point in the random number generationsequence that is dependent on the start value. As discussed furtherherein, the input value can be derived from a static value, a staticvalue combined with dynamic information, static information convertedinto a numeric representation, static information combined with dynamicinformation converted into a numeric representation among otherexamples. Simplified example C++ code could include the following:

int main( )

{srand((unsigned)input( )); int output_value = rand( ); }

Using an appropriate input value enables the generation of a randomizedbut predictable output result. The output value from any PRNG used canbe used in subsequent processes or as part of larger process fordetermining a specific outcome from, for example a prize matrix.According to one embodiments, static value and dynamic values aredefined to achieve a predictable combination for use as an input valueto a PRNG.

Input Value Generation

According to one aspect, the input value used to determine a ticketvalue may include additional information and/or be coupled with othervalues. In one example, a ticket generation value is combined with dateinformation to derive the input value for the deterministic function.One should appreciate in such a setting, the system is capable ofdetermining at any time what outcome that particular player will achieveon an associated date requested. Typically, the system does not makethis calculation until a participation and/or redemption demand is made.However, one should appreciate that the calculation can be performed atany time. For example, a future date value may be combined with a ticketgeneration value, and in another example a past date value may be used.Indeed, predetermining some results may serve as a validation ofappropriate operation, and in some embodiments, post validation mayoccur for dates that have passed. Validation of operation providesassurance regarding proper operation. Further, the ability to usepredictable and/or static information with a ticket generation valuepermits calculation of total exposure for a game in advance. To extendthe date example, knowing that a ticket generation value is combinedwith the day of redemption permits a game operator to forecast theoutcomes that will be produced upon actual use/redemption. Nothingdiscussed in the examples should be read as limiting the application ofthe function to a particular date range.

Other information may be combined with a ticket generation value, forexample, a game name may be represented as a numerical value and becombined with the ticket generation value, and used as an input to thedeterministic function. In some examples, other temporal values may beused, a second count from a predetermined time, an hour count, daycount, date and time, month, and year, among others. One shouldappreciate that many values could be combined with a ticket generationvalue including number of visits to a gaming establishment, etc.

An input value to the deterministic function could include, for example,a player's standing within a frequent players club. In some embodiments,additional information is communicated, over a computer communicationnetwork for example, along with an input value and does not need to becombined with the input value. In one example, after the input value hasbeen input into the function and an output derived, the additionalinformation is used in conjunction with the output to derive a gameoutcome. In another example, a player's status in a frequent player clubis used in conjunction with the output from a pseudo random numbergenerator, to identify a prize matrix that the player's status qualifieshim/her for and an outcome defined by that prize matrix.

Known in the art are various rankings levels used in conjunction withfrequent player club memberships to identify players. The player clubranks players by, for example, the amount of wagering the playerperforms on average, and the amount of business the player generates. Athree tier system may rate players as gold, platinum and diamond levelsbased on determination of player's value to a gaming establishment.

A player in a gold level may qualify for a different prize matrix than aplayer in a platinum level for example (reflective of a payout schedulefor a particular game). In one embodiment, the prize matrix for platinumplayers has greater valued payouts when compared to the gold levelplayer, and may include different odds of achieving a positive outcome.In other embodiments, additional information includes informationassociated with a referral network. A value associated with a referralnetwork may be passed along with an input value and the value associatedwith the referral network may be used to identify a prize matrix intowhich the function's output value indexes.

Other information may be used to determine a value associated with aplayer and the value may be used to determine a prize tier for thatplayer. In one example, a player is valued based on a distance from agambling establishment, and the farther the player traveled to reach thegambling establishment the greater the prize tier the player qualifiesfor. In another example, distance is one element that determines tierand any associated prize level. In one embodiment, gamblingestablishments can specifically target local players by increasing prizelevels for players' with shorter travel distances rather than longer.

“Tiering” may also be based on experience with a particular game. Forexample, in gaming systems that allow play continuation, the gaining ofexperience and increase in game level may be associated with differentprize tiers. The prize tiers may go to the award that the player wouldget, and in one example, includes an impact on the display of bonus gameplay. One example, would be a known STAR TREK game system. Experience inthe game causes elevation in rank from a lower level ensign to commanderof a vessel. The commander level player receives a different prize tierthan the ensign. Although one should appreciate that the prize tiers foreach may be used to provide different incentives. An ensign level playermay receive the opportunity for increased payouts as an incentive tocontinue play, although in some embodiments, the increase in experienceis tied to an increase in value to potential outcomes.

Additional information that can each be used individually orcollectively as an element into prize level determination may alsoinclude whether or not a player is a member of a referral network,whether the player generated a referral network, a value associated withmembers of a referral network, and should be understood to include anyof the information discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/238,849 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING PLAYERINCENTIVES,” filed Sep. 26, 2008, incorporated herein by reference, thatcan be used to establish a player value, and/or a value of a referralnetwork. According to one embodiment, additional information is combinedwith ticket generation values by concatenating two numeric values. Inone example, the additional information must first be representednumerically and then concatenating with the ticket generation value. Thecombined number may then be used as an input for a deterministicfunction. In another embodiment, an overall length for an input value ismaintained during the combination operations. In one example, a 64 bitnumber is used, and any additional values are combined with the 64 bitticket generation value with an XOR (exclusive OR) operation to yieldanother 64 bit number. One should appreciate that any number length maybe employed, and almost any number of additional values may be used tocontribute to an input value. For example 32, 128, 256 bit values mayalso be used. Other combination functions may be employed to includeadditional information with a ticket generation value, for example hashfunctions, index functions, and encryption functions, among others. Inone embodiment, a hash function is used to derive an input value from aticket generation value and additional information. The classes offunctions described may also be used as the deterministic function thatgenerates an output value as long as the particular version of thefunction selected provides for the generation of the same output valueupon the input of the same input value.

Example Player Association

According to another aspect, a value is generated for a player thatpermits entry into a promotional game for the player without firstrequiring generation of a ticket. The value links a promotional gameoutcome to the player, so that the outcome for the player can be knownin advance for a particular player, using the output of a deterministicfunction and pay out rules associated with the particular promotionand/or game. The link of player to outcome can be independent of theoutcome of the promotional game and/or the value of the promotionaloffer. The linking between the player and outcome can be independent ofthe details associated with any particular promotional game as well.That is, in one embodiment, a player can select any promotional game,for instance from an online display and irrespective of player choice(for example a player may choose black jack from computer interface thatpresents choices from a list of poker, blackjack, slots, roulette,craps, etc.) the outcome will be the same.

In one example, a ticket value is established for a player based on aticket generation value associated with a player, a deterministicfunction, and payment/award rules for the game. One should appreciatethat the ticket value itself need not be determined at the time theparameters for the game are created. In one example, flexibility andoverhead reduction is achieved by not generating tickets, their values,and performing the corresponding maintenance tasks, until the ticketsare required. In one example, the ticket generation value may beassociated with a player through membership in a frequent player club.In another example, the ticket generation value may be derived fromplayer information, including for instance a membership number with thefrequent player club.

In one example setting, frequent player card members may receiveinvitations to receive a promotional type award. The invitation may bebased on an act of determining qualification. In order to redeem such anaward the player club member is required to perform some action, thelocation for performing the action may be constrained to, for example, acasino and/or another gambling location. At the time the player attemptsto redeem the award, a ticket representing an entry into the promotionmay be generated from the value associated with the particular player.

One should appreciate that the invention should not be interpreted aslimited to generation only at a redemption demand (the capability existsto determine an outcome before redemption, generate an outcome afterredemption, generate outcome for validation at any time, etc). Indeed insome other embodiments, the on demand request for ticket generationoccurs at an indication of participation. In one example, when a playerattempts to play a particular game that employs ticketed entry, ageneration request is made. The generation request communicates theticket generation value or information used to derive the ticketgeneration value, and any optional additional information. An inputvalue is derived and fed into a deterministic function. The output ofthe function is used to retrieve a particular ticket value. In oneembodiment, a ticket is created and associated with the determinedvalue. A ticket or representation is communicated back to the requestinglocation. For an electronic ticket, the electronic representation ispresented. For a physical ticket, a printing device generates the ondemand ticket. In one example, ticket representations are displayed on akiosk (typically at a lottery retailer), and in another on a computermonitor attached to a communication network, for example the Internet.In another example, a physical ticket is printed in response to aparticipation request.

According to another aspect, tickets may be preprinted and/orpre-generated with ticket generation values. In one embodiment, theticket generation values are printed on the face of ticket, and inanother encoded on the face of the ticket. In one embodiment, ticketsare printed with ticket generation values upon request. In another, anumber of tickets corresponding to the expected participation amount fora particular game may be printed in advance, and additional tickets maybe generated if need arises. Printed tickets with ticket generationvalues may be used where the player wishing to participate is not known,hasn't signed up for a frequent player club membership, or are to bepassed along to other players through a known player, among otheroptions.

According to one example, generation of an outcome/ticket value isfollowed by generation of a ticket, and in some embodiments, ticketgeneration (whether electronic or in another physical form) occurs aspart of the same process for outcome generation. In other examples,operation of the deterministic function resolves a mapping to a record.The record can then be populated later with an outcome.

Shown in FIG. 2 is an example process for generating tickets for a gameon demand. At step 202, a request is made to participate in a particulargame having ticketed entries. At step 204 ticket generation informationis transmitted and received by a ticket generation system. In at leastsome embodiments, the ticket generation information includes a uniquevalue for a player associated with the participation request. In otherembodiments, a seed value is received and used as the ticket generationinformation. Optionally at step 206, additional information may betransmitted and received with the ticket generation information of 204.Additional information can include a request date, date/timecombinations, game name, game machine identifier, player information,player status as examples. In some examples, a receiving system can adddynamic information on receipt of a seed value (e.g., add date/time).

The ticket generation system processes the received information (ticketgeneration information and optionally received information). When seedvalues are transmitted directly, the seed value can be used as an inputinto a deterministic function at 208. If player information is receivedand optionally additional information is received a numerical value isgenerated at 208. The numeric value can include just player information,and also can include any combination of player information andadditional information. In one embodiment, a static seed valueassociated with a player record is received in step 204. Additionalinformation in the form of date/time information is also received at206. From the static seed value and the date/time information an inputvalue is generated. The input value can be the result of a hash functionperformed on the static seed and date/time information. Hash values canbe derived for any type of received ticket generation and/or additionalinformation. According to some embodiments, the input value that issubsequently used at 210, has the property of being knowable in advanceof the participation request.

In another example, a ticket is generated for the player when the playerindicates an intent to redeem the promotion and/or promotional award. Insome embodiments, ticket generation occurs when a player attempts toparticipate in a game, whether it is a promotional type game, or a gameof skill or a game of skill and chance. In other embodiments, ticketgeneration may occur on demand as part of a system for providing playerincentives. Examples of systems for providing player incentives aredescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/841,754 entitled“METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING PLAYER INCENTIVES,” filed Aug. 20,2007, published as U.S. Patent Application Publication Number2008-0146346 A1 on Jun. 19, 2008 with the same title, incorporatedherein by reference. However, one should appreciate that other systemsmay be used. Ticket generation may occur prior to electronic game play;at the point a player enters electronic game play, at the point ofdetermining qualification, after qualification, and at redemption, amongother options.

In one example, a ticket generation value may be associated with aplayer (with a deterministic function, etc.) to enable generation of aticket into a promotional game at the time of entering a game. In oneexample the game entry occurs through an alternative means of entry. Inanother example, the alternative means of entry (AMOE) includesinformation necessary to identify a player, create a record for theplayer, and associate a ticket generation value with the player. Inanother example, the player may be associated with a value that can beused to derive an input value. In one embodiment, the value associatedwith the player is combined with other information to generate the inputvalue into the deterministic function.

In another embodiment, a ticket generation value is associated with aplayer through a wagering account. In one example, the ticket generationvalue is associated with a wagering account without concern/knowledge ofthe player tied to the account. Account-based wagering may also includemultiple players for a single account, and thus according to anotherembodiment, multiple players may be associated with a ticket generationvalue. In another example, individual player names representednumerically may be combined with ticket generation values so that eachplayer of the multiplayer group may be provided awards according tounique tiering, and/or prize matrix.

In another example, the AMOE allows a game operator to identify anexisting player record and associate a ticket generation value with thatplayer. In an alternative, the AMOE entry permits the game operator tocreate a player record for the player seeking to enter the game via anAMOE. The player can then be entered in game session according to theAMOE and the ticket generation value can be created and assigned at theprocessing of the AMOE. In another example the AMOE is a part of aninvitation to a player (who may be first qualified) and the player maybe associated with a ticket generation value at the time the invitationis sent. Players who participate in games through subscriptions may alsobe identified and associated with a ticket generation values. In oneembodiment, the ticket generation value is used in conjunction with apromotional type game requiring that outcome/ticket value determinationoccur without elements of chance. Other games may have differentrequirements regarding outcome generation. In some examples, elements ofskill may be present, in others elements of skill and chance, in othersjust chance, however, one should appreciate that reducing the need foradvance ticket generation by permitting on demand ticket creationreduces the overhead of any game that employs ticketed entries.

In another example, a player may be associated with a ticket generationvalue used to determine a promotional game outcome and/or value of apromotional offer through a referral network for the creation oftickets, as they become necessary. In one example, a player does notneed to be a member of a frequent player club to be associated with aticket generation value. The player may be uniquely identified throughan entry in a referral network. In one example, player information isentered into a referral network management interface. That player maythen be associated with a player record including a ticket generationvalue. An input value to the deterministic function is derived from theticket generation value. In one example, the ticket generation value isused as the input value. In some embodiments, the ticket generationvalue is combined with other information to determine an input value.The input value will be used to determine an outcome of, for example, apromotional game.

In one embodiment, players are first identified to receive to apromotional offer. At the time of identification of the player, theplayer may be associated with a ticket generation value that can be usedto create a ticket and determine a ticket value/outcome for thepromotion. In another embodiment, an existing value may be used, and inyet another, the value may include additional information. For example,additional information includes date information, permitting uniqueoutputs from the deterministic function on the basis of date, using thesame value associated with a player.

In one embodiment, any ticket generation value may include informationspecific to the promotional game. In one example, information specificto the promotion includes start time for the promotion, end time for thepromotion, number of participants in the promotion, awards available, arate for providing winning outcomes and/or awards, date of redemption,promotional game selection for a player, and promotional game selectedby the player, among other options. In another embodiment, theinformation specific to the promotion may be communicated over acomputer network in conjunction with the ticket generation value ratherthan being used as a component of the input value.

In one example, a ticket generation value may be created when a player'sinformation is entered into a referral network, in another example, theplayer information must be validated before creation of a value for thatplayer. In some embodiments, a ticket generation value is only generatedand associated with a player in response to a particular playerqualifying for a particular game and/or incentive offer. In someexamples, a game may be associated with a time period during which avalid outcome may be produced. In response to the expiration of the timeperiod, a ticket generation value may be de-associated from a player,and in one example this comprises deleting the value from a playerrecord stored in a database. In another example, a ticket generationvalue is created from existing information stored concerning a player.For example, a frequent playercard number or member account can be used.Other examples include date of birth, address, height and weight. Theexisting information may be combined with additional informationassociated with the player to generate a unique ticket generation value.

In other examples, an input value may include additional information sothat outcome generation may be influenced in a predetermined manner bythe additional information. For example, an input value may include datespecific information, and the date information included in the inputvalue may impact the output generated by the deterministic function. Inanother example, a game name is reduced to a numerical value andincorporated into the input value, permitting a unique output from adeterministic function for each named game. The game name may beformulated to include game series identification and/or time periods sothat a numerical representation will enable unique outputs from thedeterministic function as a property of a game name, game series, gametime period, etc.

In some embodiments, a ticket generation value may be associated with agroup of players rather than an individual. For group values, the inputvalue will be associated with a specific ticket value/outcome (throughuse of the deterministic function to generate an output and theassociation of the output to a game award value), but at the time ofawarding for a particular player within a group additionaldeterminations may be made that divide the specific outcome intoportions to be awarded to members of the group. The additionaldeterminations may be designed to provide players in the group signalsas to the scope of the award, or to give an indication that a positiveresults occurred. For example, a predetermined award of $50, may bebroken up into a $5 award, follow by any number of non-winning awards,to be concluded in awards of $5, $20, and $20, earning the group as awhole $50. In one example, the additional determinations are determinedrandomly so the generated ticket value (from the input value,deterministic function, output value, and compensation rules) is brokeninto randomly determined parts, and awarded in a random order to membersof the group. The ticket value may still be generated deterministically,but the presentation may take place in a number of ways. In anotherembodiment, the group outcome may have a scripted component, allowing agame operator to provide early indications of an award, a large award,etc. to increase excitement and potentially increase play.

Shown in FIG. 3 is an example process 300 for generating a ticket orticket information on demand. Process 300 may be used in conjunctionwith, for example, a qualification phase of a game. In one example, agame provider can qualify players meeting their criteria to participatein a promotional game. The qualified players can have a ticketgeneration value assigned. Additionally, a value can be assigned to agame, a game series, a game session, a game machine, and/or a ticketrecord.

As shown in FIG. 3, at 302 a random function is used to create arandomized seed value at 304. The seed value can be associated with adata record at 306 for later retrieval. Example records can be any oneor more of a player record 306A, a game record 306B, a game terminalrecord 306C, and a ticket record 306D. A player record can bepre-existing or generated at the time of the association. In someexamples, an existing player record is used to store a random seedvalue. In other example, an existing player record can be accessed andthe random function used at 302 to create a seed value from existinginformation. At 308, a participation request for the game with on demandentries is received. In response to the request, the seed value istransmitted to the requesting entity at 310.

In some embodiments, additional information may be incorporated in thecommunication of the seed value. For example, the date and time of theparticipation request can be included. Additional information caninclude any one or more of date, date/time, game, game machineidentifier, player information, player status, among other examples. Theseed value can be used as an input into a pseudo random number generator(“PRNG”) at 312. In some embodiments, an input value can be generatedfrom a received seed value and additional information. Typically theinput can be constructed from a static portion and a dynamic portion toyield a predictable value. For example, a stored seed can be combinedwith a dynamic date and time value to generate a unique but predictableinput. Date and time is dynamic in a predictable way, thus, thecombination of a static value and the predictable date time value can beused to yield predictable results for an input value. In otherembodiments, other dynamic values can be used to generate input values.

At 314 the output of the PRNG is used to retrieve a game outcome for theparticipation request. In some embodiments, an outcome is retrieve froma predetermined prize matrix established according to compensation rulesprovided by a game operator. In other embodiments, the game operator maybe provided a prize matrix directly and/or compensation rules to follow.In one example a plurality of prize matrixes can be used, and an outcomedetermined from the plurality of prize matrixes by first identifying anapplicable matrix and then using the output to retrieve the outcomesfrom the identified matrix. Matrixes may be selected using additionalinformation provided during a participation request. Alternatively,information on a player can be provided separately from a participationrequest, and an appropriate prize matrix identified in advance of step314. The output value generated can be used as an index and/or lookupvalue for a given prize matrix. Other method can also be used. Once anoutcome is identified, ticket generation information can be returned tothe requesting entity at 316. In some examples, the ticket generationinformation is sent for the requesting entity to fabricate a physicalticket, by for example printing the ticket. In other examples, therequesting entity generates an electronic representation of the ticketfrom the information and presents it to a player. In other examples, aticket representation can first be created and then sent. The requestingentity can then display the representation or provide for generation ofa physical ticket.

One should appreciate that other methods of associating a player and aticket generation value may be used. In one example, a player may beuniquely identified using biometric information. In another example, aplayer may be uniquely identified on a visit to a gambling location,affiliated location, or other location using video imagery, videoanalysis, determined height and/or weight information, and may also bedetermined using other physical characteristics, including facialstructure, finger prints, and voice identification, among others. Aplayer record can be established for any uniquely identified player, andthat player record may be associated with a ticket generation value.According to one alternative, a ticket generation value may beassociated with a global player tracking system.

Examples of global player tracking systems are described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/345,289 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORCOLLECTING AND USING PLAYER INFORMATION,” filed Dec. 29, 2008, whichclaims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Patent Application Ser.No. 61/016,801 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING AND USINGPLAYER INFORMATION,” filed Dec. 26, 2007 both of which are incorporatedherein by reference. and forms a part of the instant Specification inits entirety. In one embodiment, the global tracking system mayassociate a ticket generation value with a global player record. Theglobal player record may associate multiple frequent player clubmemberships held at a number of gaming, gambling, and/or affiliatedestablishments. One should appreciate that other memberships may betracked, and in one example the global player record identifiesmemberships at gambling locations, memberships at affiliated locations,memberships at other entities, and may include membership in activitiesand/or groups that may be indicative of increased likelihood of gamblingamong other options.

The ticket generation value may include information on a particularmembership (e.g. frequent player club membership), so that the value maybe used to identify a specific ticket value based on a particularmembership and its associated location. In one example, the value isassociated with multiple outcomes, and included information (e.g.membership information) allows a system to employ the value to identifythe correct ticket value from among a number of outcomes. In someexamples, the additional information may be incorporated into the inputvalue and be used to generate unique output values based on theincorporated additional information. In some other examples theadditional information may be employed after the generation of an outputvalue influencing the selection of the payout parameters that the outputvalue will be used to identify.

In one example, a player is associated with a ticket generation valuethat was randomly determined, and uniquely identifies the player. At thetime the player attempts to participate in a game, a ticket is generatedon demand for that player. An input value is generated from the ticketgeneration value, optionally including additional information,communicated over a computer network to a processing computer system.The processing computer system accepts the input value as well as anyadditional information that may accompany the input value. The inputvalue is used as the input to a deterministic function, in this examplea PRNG that outputs a randomized deterministic value. The additionalinformation is used by the processing system to select from threepossible sets of compensation rules. In one embodiment, the compensationrules are represented as entries in a prize matrix covering possibleoutcomes that satisfy the compensation rules. The additional informationindicates that the player is a frequent player club member of theplatinum tier (gold, platinum, and diamond are possible tierdesignations in this particular example). The additional informationdirects the processing system to select the third prize matrix and touse the output value from the deterministic function to generate aticket value from the prize matrix. In one example, the generation ofthe ticket value occurs by using the output value as an index into aprize matrix. One should appreciate that other methods of using theoutput value may be employed to generate a ticket value. For example,the output value may be used as an index, in another example the outputvalue is used as a lookup. In some embodiments the output value is usedto retrieve a row in a table and in another embodiment, a record in adatabase. In some examples, the output value may be used in conjunctionwith a mapping function. A mapping function includes an operation thataccepts an input and associates the input with a record in a tableand/or a record in a database.

In one embodiment, a method for providing a predetermined outcome for apromotional game includes an act of storing information associated witha frequent player's club member, and in one embodiment, the informationstored can be associated directly with the player's membership card. Theinformation associated with the player's club membership can be combinedin real time with additional information to create a ticket for thatplayer that is reflective of the predetermined prize, award, and/oropportunity. In one example, using the player information and apredetermined prize matrix a promotional game operator is able todetermine for a given player any prize that the player may win on anygiven day during the promotional period. In another example, thepromotional game operator may identify that Player A will win (awardsmay include invitations to play online games, free entry into a gamblinggame, non-cashable credits, additional opportunities to participate inpromotions, hotel accommodations, etc.) or not tomorrow, without need ofa generated ticket.

Shown in FIG. 4 is an example process for obtaining a game outcome ondemand in response to a ticket generation request. Example process 400can be used as part of a larger overall process for creating ticket ondemand in association with a particular game. At 402, a prize schedulefor a game is established. The prize schedule can be generated fromcompensation rule for a particular game. In one example, the prizeschedule is provided by a promotion operator. The promotion operator candefine probabilities of winning a given prize, the maximum prizeamounts, minimum prize amount, among other examples. Alternatively agame operator can provide compensation rule for creating a prizeschedule. The prize schedule can be predetermined. In some embodiments,prize matrixes are established in advance of entry into the game.According to various aspects the predetermined prize matrixes areunassociated with any entry into the game, until a ticket is needed.

At 404 at request for entry into the game is accepted. The request cancome in a the form of a ticket generation request, and/or a request foran entry into a specific game. A ticket request includes information forgenerating a ticker entry in the game. In one particular example, a seedvalue is transmitted as part of a ticket generation request. In anotherexample, information associated with the ticket request is transmittedwith the request. The information can include numeric and non-numericvalues. For example, a player status associated with the request can besent. In some embodiments, any one of or a combination of a gameidentifier, a game machine identifier, a player status, playerinformation can be sent as a part of a ticket generation request.Additional information can also be included, for example, a date, a datetime combination, an entry number, among other examples.

From the information received either as part of or in addition to theticket generation request, an input value is generated. According tosome embodiments, input values are unknown prior to the time of therequest, but predictable, by an operator given the information that isused for input value generation. In an example that uses a static seedvalue associated with a particular game, the game seed can be combinedwith a value associated with a player requesting entry to derive aunique and predictable input value at the time a request for a ticket ismade. An operator knowing the parameters of the input generationoperation can effectively predict for a given player and the given gamewhether that player will receive a particular prize. For inputgeneration that includes date and time, the operation can predict forthat game and that player on a given day at a given time whether a prizewill be awarded. For regulatory and/or auditing purposes, it can be ofequal value to determine for a given game, player and time whether aprize should have been awarded, if for example that qualified playerdecided to participate. For non-numeric information, hash values can begenerated to provide numeric representations. Other functions can beused to translate non-numeric values into numeric representations.Various operation can be employed to combine numeric values, forexample, an xor operation can be used to combine any seed value with adate and time value. Further xor operations could be used to account foradditional information. One should appreciate that other operations canbe used (e.g., concatenation operation).

Once an input value is derived an output value is calculated at 408using a deterministic function. One example deterministic function is aPRNG, and the output from the PRNG is used to obtain a game outcomeaccording to the prize schedule at 410. The act of obtaining a gameoutcome can include using the output value as a lookup into a prizematrix. In some embodiments, the output value can be used to select froma plurality of prize matrixes that store a plurality of predeterminedoutcomes, and from the selected prize matrix identify a particularoutcome. In one alternative embodiment, information sent with a ticketgeneration request at 404 is used select from a plurality of prizematrixes and the output value used as a look up or as an index valueinto the selected prize matrix. For example, status of a playerassociated with the entry request determined which prize matrix is usedto determined a game outcome. Once an outcome for the game is obtained,at 412 ticket creation is provided.

The information for a particular ticket can be encoded and returned tothe requesting entity. Ticket creation can involve generation of aphysical ticket, by for example, sending a ticket representation to therequesting entity. The requesting entity can present the ticketelectronic, and/or print a physical ticket in response to receiving therepresentation. In some embodiments, only minimal information isreturned. The minimal information that is returned is configured topermit the requesting entity to generate a ticket or a ticketed entry.The ticket can be configured according to the parameters of any game therequesting entity is presenting. For example, a link and/or mapping tothe outcome from step 410 can be transmitted to the requesting entity,which prints a physical ticket, for a participating entity (e.g. aplayer) to redeem. In some embodiments, the requesting entity canpresent an electronic ticket, which can be redeemed for its associatedoutcome.

Additional Example Associations

Ticket generation values need not be associated with players or playerrecords. The ticket generation values may be generated upon a ticketrequest. In one example, ticket generation values are created frominformation associated with a player. In another example, a ticketgeneration value is created from information associated with one or moreof a game, a game machine, a game name, and a printed ticket, amongother options. Various gaming systems that require ticketed entry canbenefit from on demand ticket generation.

According to another aspect, a ticket generation value may be associatedwith a particular gaming machine. In one embodiment, a ticket generationvalue associated with a gaming machine is used to determine ticketvalues and/or outcomes for the particular game on request. In oneexample, the ticket generation value is used as an input into adeterministic function (e.g. PRNG) that generates a randomized butdeterministic output based on the input value. The output value is usedin conjunction with compensation rules to derive the particular ondemand ticket value/ticket outcome. In some embodiments, additionalinformation is combined with the ticket generation value to derive theinput value to the deterministic function. In one example, a dateparameter is combined with the ticket generation value to permit uniqueand deterministic output values based on time. In some otherembodiments, a count may be employed in conjunction with the ticketgeneration value, including for example, a count of the number ofrequested outcomes, a count of the number of plays, a count of thenumber of players, a second count, and a minute count, among otheroptions.

Generating tickets on demand presents advantages in the maintenance ofgaming machines and the maintenance and administration of the gameitself. Ticket value determination proceeds in the same fashion nomatter what the compensation rules for the particular game and/or gamingmachine. Thus, one should appreciate the compensation rules for aparticular game may be modified without having to rework other aspectsof the particular game. Conventionally, in games that require initialqualification, the addition of other qualified players represents amassive undertaking. For example, the addition of qualified players to agame in progress may affect the odds of winning, may requireredistribution of outcomes, outcome pools, and for games employingsub-pools, the retooling of the sub-pools. Using a ticket generationvalue to derive an output from a deterministic function and thenemploying the output value to retrieve a ticket value based oncompensation rules, separates the compensation rules from implementationof the game. This separation makes each element modular and separable,and therefore, modifiable without affect on other aspects.

In other implementations, a ticket generation value may be associatedwith a particular game, a game series, a series of games, a game name, agame machine, a series of game machines, or another unique gameidentifier. Additional information may be combined with the ticketgeneration value to derive an input value for, in one instance, a PRNG,as discussed herein.

In one embodiment, on demand ticket generation is used with videolottery terminals with predetermined results. In another example,pull-tab games use seed value(s) as inputs into a deterministic functionto reduce the maintenance and overhead associated with game tickets. Oneshould appreciate that any Class II gaming machine that employspredetermined outcomes can benefit from the use of ticket generationvalues that permit ticket generation on an as needed basis and preservepredetermined nature of any award. Other example games and game machinesinclude lottery systems that issue instant tickets or virtual forms ofinstant tickets via kiosks, point of sale equipment, or Internet-basedsales systems. Ticket facsimiles may be presented on a kiosk (typicallyat a lottery retailer) and on a computer monitor fed over the Internet,among other examples (including use of preprinted tickets). On demandticket generation may also facilitate server-based gaming and so calledonline lottery terminals (e.g. Powerball) that generate instant ticketsor ticket representations. Online refers to the use of remote terminalsat authorized locations—as opposed to “offline” games (e.g. scratchticket games). Other options, include the use of ticket generationvalues to print scratch tickets on demand. In one example, scratchtickets are created at an online terminal with specialized printingdevice(s).

In one embodiment, on demand ticket generation may be used with videolottery terminals (VLT) with predetermined results. Conventionally inVLT games with predetermined results, entire batches of tickets arecreated with respective outcomes, these batches of tickets requireappropriate maintenance and significant implementation overhead. In oneexample, ticket pools must be created so that certain winning outcomescan be reserved throughout play of the game. If for example, a VLT gameadvertises a million dollar jackpot is available, there must in fact bea million dollar win in the ticket pools. If the jackpot has been wonearly on the game itself would have to be reorganized and potentiallyand the advertisement for it retooled. Moreover, there is significantoverhead in maintaining these ticket batches, generating appropriateticket pools, maintaining the ticket pools, re-randomizing the pools,among numerous other maintenance tasks. Additionally, security presentssignificant difficulties where all the outcomes and tickets are alreadyin existence. One should appreciate that according to one embodiment,the use of ticket generation values allows for a greater degree ofsecurity, even over and above the reduction in maintenance and gameoverhead.

One part of the maintenance tasks for conventional games includeschanging the parameters of the game itself. In a game wherein theoutcomes have been determined and/or ticket batches has been alreadysold, unique problems and significant overhead is introduced. In orderto retool the game according to the changed parameters one must accountfor all the created and/or sold tickets and develop an entirely newimplementation strategy. According to one embodiment, ticket generationvalues allow for the retooling of the prize matrix with minimal effort.Any existing tickets need not be changed, and in one example, theexisting tickets even benefit from changes to the prize matrix, as theirassociated prizes have not been determined yet. Conversely, if thechange to the prize matrix actually reduces payouts/awards then anyticket generated thereafter will be affected by the reduction. Inanother example, previous pay schedules can be maintained for playerswho have already been entered. In one embodiment, this is accomplishedby creating a new prize matrix that governs more recent entries.Additional information submitted with a ticket generation value may beused to select the different prize matrixes.

Shown in FIG. 5A is an example process, 500, for generating prizematrixes according to various aspects of the present disclosure. A gameoperator, for example a promotion operator, can establish variousparameters of the game they wish to run. In some examples, the gameparameters include the criteria for payouts to any game participant orpotential participant. A game operator can provide game parameters inconjunction with qualification criteria for players. In particular, agame can be targeted to a particular player population using playerqualification. The player population can be presented different payoutopportunities based on how well the particular player or group ofplayers meets the qualification criteria. In some examples the promotionoperator can engage a game operator or vice versa to provide thenecessary systems for game control and/or participation requests. Forexample, at 502, game parameters are accepted which define for example,payout information for a particular game. Payout information can includemaximum payouts, minimum payouts, maximum number of wins, minimum numberof wins, etc. Payout information can also establish probabilities forparticular outcomes. The game parameters provided are used to create atleast one prize matrix governing game outcome at 504. The prize matrixcan define all of the outcomes for a particular game in advance ofrunning the game, that is all of the outcomes for a particular game canbe predetermined. Example process 500, can be used a part of a largerprocess for generating on demand entries into a game, having forexample. predetermined, yet unassociated outcomes. Process 500 can beused for example with other processes to enable on demand entrygeneration.

An example, process 520 can be used in conjunction with process 500.Example process 520, shown in FIG. 5B, illustrates an example processfor providing seed information used to create on demand tickets into agame. At 522, a record for any of a player, a game, and a game machineis created. As discussed herein, such a record can be created when aplayer signs up for a frequent player card, or a game identifier can beestablished when criteria for a game a provided, for example inconjunction with or as a result of example process 500. A unique randomvalue can be generated at 524 and stored at 526 with the record createdin 522. In one alternative, a unique value can be created and storedwith an existing record, and a new record need not be created. Inanother alternative, shown by example process 540, FIG. 5C, a seed valuecan be derived from existing information. For example, at 542 a playerrecord can be accessed, and information contained in the player recordused at 544 to derive a seed value. A date of birth, address, middlename, can represent information used to derive a seed value. In oneexample, a player can be associated with a unique membership number. Forexample, the membership number for a frequent player can be associatedwith a player. The membership number can be used to derive a unique seedvalue at 544.

Using a matrix defined in example process 500 and a seed valuedetermined by process 520 or process 540 a ticket can be generated ondemand that delivers an the predetermined outcomes of 500, in apredictable and auditable fashion.

Example Systems

The following example systems may be used to implement various aspectsof the present invention. It should be appreciated that other systemconfigurations could be used, and such aspects are not limited thereto,unless specifically recited in the claims.

Ticket Generation System

One example system for generating on demand tickets includes featuresdesigned to reduce operational overhead associated with entries intopromotions. The system provides a novel approach to outcome/ticketgeneration for games that employ ticketed entries. Ticket generation mayproceed on demand (generate (and optionally, print) tickets as-needed).According to one embodiment, on demand ticket generation is providedthat preserves predetermination and does not introduce elements ofchance into the determination of awards. Such a system may beincorporated as programming on a general purpose computer system, storedas instructions on a computer-readable medium, or implemented as aspecial purpose circuit adapted to perform the functions describedherein. In another embodiment, on demand ticket generation replacesconventional ticketing systems for other types of games, including videolottery terminal games, and scratch ticket games, among others. Oneshould appreciate that on demand generation of tickets can reducecomplexity, overhead, and improve flexibility in maintenance andflexibility in adapting to changed game parameters for any game thatincludes the use of tickets.

In one embodiment, a computer system is adapted to generate a playerrecord that identifies a particular player. The player record typicallyincludes information associated with the player that allows a gameoperator to, for example, target promotional material to that player'sinterests and/or qualify the player for incentive awards based onqualification criteria. Qualification criteria include the examplesdescribed in “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING PLAYER INCENTIVES,”filed Aug. 20, 2007, incorporated by reference. The qualificationcriteria may be tailored to identify player(s) of value. Player(s) ofvalue are, typically, players who gamble frequently, and/or place largewagers, and place large average wagers, among other indicators. It isknown that high value players often represent a large portion of incomefor a gambling establishment, relative to their proportion of the playerpopulation at the same casino. High value players are often rewardedand/or tracked through memberships in frequent player clubs. Playerstatus, player value, player club tier, all comprise additionalinformation associated with a player that is used both individually andin combination when determining tickets and ticket values on demand.

In one example, system for generating ticketed entries into a gameincludes a system for generating a player record, for example, inresponse to a player signing up for a frequent player card. In oneexample, the player's activity (e.g. gambling, wagers, wager amount,average wager, shopping, eating, etc.) is recorded through use ofhis/her frequent player member card. A player's activity may bemonitored for indication of a high value player. Additionally a player'sactivity may be monitored to determine what incentive offers may betargeted to that player, that may increase gambling and/or encouragereturn to a particular establishment. In one example, in response toqualifying for an incentive offer based on tracked activity, a ticketgeneration value may be established for the player. In one alternative,a ticket generation value is derived from information associated withthe player.

A computer system may generate an input value that is adapted toassociate the player with an outcome of a predetermined promotion and/orgame through a deterministic function. In generating an input value,typically the available prizes for a particular promotion and/or gameare first established (in one example—the compensation rules aredefined), and then the input value is used with the deterministicfunction to output a value that is used to determine a prize (if any).However, one should appreciate that the system may associate a playerwith a prize record (employing the output generation value and functionoutput), and the prize record may then be filled from a laterdetermination of prizes.

Other example systems derive ticket generation values from informationassociated with a player, with a particular gaming machine, with agaming machine terminal (including multi-terminal games), with aninstant ticket dispenser (an “online” terminal), and a lotteryplayercard. In some examples, a lottery playercard is employed that isnot personally identifiable, but comprises a unique identifier. Inanother example a kiosk is used to present ticketed entry into games,promotional or otherwise. The kiosk may display ticket facsimiles(typically at a lottery retailer), and in another example ticketgeneration requests may be received from personal computer systems anddisplayed through a computer monitor fed over the Internet, among otherexamples (including use of preprinted tickets).

Shown in FIG. 6, is an example process 600 for delivering ticketgeneration information. At 602 a game entry request is received by agame system. The game system retrieves, at 604, a ticket generationvalue or ticket generation information associated with any of theplayer, the game, the game machine being played (as some examples) fromthe entry request. The game system transmits the ticket generation valueor ticket generation information to a ticket generation system at 606.The transmission at 606 can optionally include additional informationabout any one of or a combination of the player, the game, the gamemachine (as examples). At 608, the ticket generation system receives theticket generation value or ticket generation information and anyoptional additional information. The ticket generation system uses thereceived information to determine an association with a particularoutcome. The outcomes can be predetermined and stored in a prize matrix,for example as the result of process 500. At 510, the ticket generationsystem generates game ticket information. The game ticket informationcan directly represent a game ticket, or as one alternative, the gameticket information can be used to generate a ticket. At 612, the ticketinformation is transmitted back to the game system, and a ticket can bepresented and/or generated and presented by the game system.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example process for incorporating additionalinformation for use in deriving an input value, according to variousaspects of the disclosure. At 702, a ticket generation value isaccepted. The ticket generation value is accompanies by additionalinformation. At 704, a determination is made as whether the additionalinformation has been received in numeric or non-numeric form. If No at704(NO) the additional information is converted into a numericrepresentation at 706. For example, a hash function can be used toconvert non-numeric information into a numeric value. Other operationcan be employed. If the additional information is already numeric704(YES), for example, the information converter prior to the request,or as one alternative, the information can be numeric without need toconvert, the ticket generation value can be combined with the additionalinformation using for example an XOR function at 708. The XOR functioncan be used to provide an output of known length. The length can betailored to the particular application and/or game as required. Theticket generation value and the additional information are used tocalculate and input value at 710. The input value can be used as part ofan overall process for ticket generation.

According to another embodiment, on demand ticket generation is used tocreate scratch tickets upon request. In such an embodiment, a player maybe associated with a ticket generation value, a scratch ticket gameterminal may be associated with a ticket generation value, and/or eachscratch ticket game terminal may be associated with its own ticketgeneration value. Although, one should appreciate that any game or gameterminal (e.g. video lottery terminal) may be associated with a ticketgeneration value or information from which a ticket generation value canbe derived. In another embodiment, the game itself is associated with aticket generation value. In one example, a game ticket generation valueis employed, and additional information is used in conjunction with theticket generation value. In another example, the additional informationis a unique terminal identifier.

Prize Matrix

In one embodiment, a prize matrix is generated for a particular gameaccording to criteria (compensation schedule) provided by casinooperator to a game operator. One should appreciate the game operator maybe the same entity and the particular example discussed should not beread to limit the game operator from also being the casino operator. Inother examples, other parties may wish to establish criteria for prizematrixes and have a game operator provide prize opportunities to playerpopulations in order to incentivize particular actions, or increasesatisfaction. The system operates in association with games that provideplayers with ticketed entries (whether physical tickets or electronic)into a gaming event. In one example, a promotional game that provideselectronic or physically printed tickets to players is adapted toprovide on demand tickets when required.

The casino operator may specify a particular payout amount for aparticular game, a particular payout rate, maximum prize, minimum prize,mean prize, overall odds of winning, and individual odds of winning,amount other options. Other features that may be specified by the casinooperator can include number of participants, distinguishing featuresbetween the participants, different odds of winning based on a status ofa participant, and a number of chances of winning for each player, amongother options. The casino operator may choose to implement differentvalues for each of the preceding categories based on player status. Inone example, a casino operator may have a different maximum prize forplayer that belongs to its highest level of player membership, and adifferent (e.g. smaller) maximum prize for players that belong todifferent player club levels. In one example, the different player clublevels may have their own offer and/or game, respectively.

Various games may include different values for max payout, min payout,overall odds of winning, individual odds of winning, for example. Playerstatus may also include other information. In one embodiment playerstatus includes referral network information—and player status isdetermined, at least in part, by associations with other players. Inanother example, associations with other recognized high value playerscan be included in the player status. In one example, association withother high value players entitles a player to participation in apromotional game with a high value player prize matrix. A player statusthat may be used to influence the determination of a prize matrix, mayinclude whether the player is a new player. In some embodiments, playerstatuses include new player, referral player, affiliated player, andhigh value player, among others. Other player statuses may also includeplayer club tier, for example.

Once the criteria for determining prizes for a particular game areestablished, a prize matrix may be generated according to the criteria.In one example, criteria for determining prizes includes the probabilityof winning certain prizes for an entry into the game (e.g. 10% chancefor 0$ award, 50% chance for winning 5$, and 40% chance for winning$10). Prize results may be generated for each player status as directedby, for example, the casino operator, and in one embodiment, each statushas a corresponding prize matrix. The prize matrix may be stored in acomputer system for later access. In some examples, the prize matrix maybe stored as a database, a lookup table, xml file, or other readablefile for information storage.

In one embodiment, the computer system then calculates an output valuefrom a deterministic function, after inputting an input value generatedfrom a ticket generation value, and optionally additional information.The output value is then used to retrieve a ticket value specified bythe prize matrix. Optionally, additional information may be employed toguide selection of a particular prize matrix. In one example, an outputvalue is used as an index into a selected prize matrix, and the indexoperation returns a ticket value according to the compensation scheduleestablished for the game. In another example, the compensation scheduleis selected using the additional information provided.

Shown in FIG. 9 is an example process, 900, for providing information todetermine a game outcome as an entry into a game is needed. At 902 anoutput value is accessed to use an input into a function at 904. Theoutput value accessed at 902 can be the result of an operation todetermined an input value, for example, the result of process 700 can beused to generate an output accessed at 902. According to someembodiments, the function at 904, is deterministic. An exampledeterministic function includes a PRNG, that produces a randomized butpredictable output for a given seed value input into the pseudo randomnumber generator. The output of the deterministic function is calculatedbased on the input/seed value at 906. The output of the deterministicfunction is used at 908 to retrieve information from a prize schedule.The information retrieved from the prize schedule can be used at 910 todetermine a particular outcome for any given game. In some embodiments,the function output at 908 generates a mapping into a prize matrix. Theprize matrix can be predetermined. In one alternative, the prize matrixcan be completed after the mapping has been generated. For example alater drawing, a may be linked to specific records in the prize matrixand the records filled with outcomes based on the outcome of a laterdrawing.

According to some embodiments, each player record identifies one uniqueplayer (auditing may be periodically performed to insure that a playerdoes get entered into the system multiple times, and if multiple entriesexist, deactivating or removing them—optionally the player withduplicate entries may be entirely disqualified) and an entry in theprize matrix. Once the ticket generation value is created (e.g. randomnumber generation, player membership number, etc.) or the values used toderive a ticket generation values are associated with a player, thevalue can be used to retrieve a ticket for a particular game at anytime. Other criteria may be employed to prevent/enable a player fromactually redeeming the outcome. In one example, a promotional award istied to a promotional period, for example, a week in October. If thepromotional award is not redeemed in its valid period, the award cannotbe redeemed at all. Other criteria may require that the playerparticipate in a specified number of games before being able to redeem,the specified number of game may also be associated with its own timeperiod in which to participate in the specified number of games.

Eligibility

According to one embodiment, eligibility requirements may beimplemented. In one example, game eligibility requirements are passedalong with ticket generation values in a ticket request. If theeligibility requirements are met an input values is generated and anultimately a ticket created. If the eligibility requirements are notmet, then a ticket will ultimately not be created. Eligibilityrequirements may be imposed on a player, a game, and/or a game machine.

In one embodiment, the eligibility requirements are tested directlyagainst a ticket generation value, whether the ticket generation valueis associated with a player, game, game machine, or even a physicalticket. In another embodiment, the eligibility requirements are testedagainst information transmitted in a ticket request. In one example, atest for eligibility may be performed at the location requesting aticket.

In one example, a player logs onto a gaming system. At logon, playereligibility is determined. Typically eligibility requirements willinclude a time period in which redemption is allowed. For example, agame may require that a player redeem any award on any Monday of a givenmonth. Only if the player enters the game during the appropriate periodwill a ticket be generated for the player. Other time periods may beused. In one example, a player is directed to play a particular gameduring a slow period during the day at a gaming establishment. Inanother the player is asked to participate during a week long period, amonth long period, or some other time interval desired by a gameoperator.

Eligibility requirements can be changed during the course of a game andplayers added or subtracted based on new requirements. One shouldappreciate that additional players may be added to a game by creatingadditional ticket generation values without altering the nature of theawards already determinable for the other players, indeed thesimplification of adding additional players into a game, game series,and/or promotion is one benefit of some embodiments. Moreover, usingticket generation values, a promotional game operator, for example, canreadily absorb changes to the criteria for determining prize matrixes.The maximum prize, odds of winning, etc., can all be changed to generatea new prize matrix—at the same time without requiring requalification ofthe already entered players, without regeneration of ticket values forthem, without requiring creation of new ticket generation values, and incases where a predetermined outcomes is required, includes notsacrificing the predetermined nature of the award.

In one embodiment, the ticket generation value is used as an input intoa PRNG to generate an output value that links a prize matrix to the gameoutcome. In another embodiment, the ticket generation value includes aseed value used in a deterministic function. The seed can be generatedusing a random number generator. The seed can then be fed into the PRNGto obtain an output value. The output value is used as an index to arecord in the prize matrix, the process may be repeated for a number ofseed values for a number of players. Once a ticket value is determined,the ticket may be returned to the system requesting the outcome. In oneembodiment, the ticket enables access to its corresponding value onlyupon redemption of the ticket. The ticket may be deliveredelectronically, over a computer network for example, and in one example,the ticket is printed and sent to a player requesting it. In anotherexample, the ticket information is delivered electronically to the gameoperator, and a printing device is used to generate a physical ticket atthe location of the game operator.

One should appreciate that the ticket may be generated at almost anytime during the gaming process. According to one embodiment, the systemwill determine if the player has redeemed any tickets for the game. Ifthe game is limited to one redemption, and the player has alreadyredeemed an award (winning or not) the system will not generateadditional tickets. In one embodiment, a game is available for a numberof redemptions, and as long as the player has not exceeded the number ofredemptions a new ticket will be generated and the player may obtain theoutcome associated with it. The system will also reprint an unfinishedticket, where one has been generated but not redeemed. In an example,where no ticket exists, a new ticket will be generated.

According to one example, a ticket generation value is generated for apromotional game and associated with a player record. In onealternative, a ticket generation is derived as needed from informationassociated with the player. Player records may be generated in a numberof ways including for example, entry into a frequent player clubprogram, entry into a referral network, and/or participation at anaffiliated location. In one embodiment, the ticket generation value isderived using a randomly generated seed. In some embodiments, a new seedis generated for each promotion and/or promotion eligibility period andused as the ticket generation value. In one alternative, promotionalticket generation values may be created with seeds that are updated on aperiodic basis (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, etc). In one embodiment, aplayer record is associated with one seed for the life of the playerrecord.

In other embodiments, seed data may be gathered from a player record andused to derived a seed/ticket generation value. Seed data may becombined with additional information that permits a promotion operatorto tailor an input value to unique outputs, and reuse the original seeddata to generate other unique outputs. For example, prize matrixes inother promotions may be accessed using additional information incombination with a seed associated with a player record. A name of apromotion could be used for the additional information, where the nameof the promotion is reduced to a numerical representation and combinedwith the seed. Optionally, a player record or the information associatedwith it, could be used with multiple games, and in some examples,multiple seed values may be associated with or derived from a playerrecord and the system could specify which seed to use with which game.

In one embodiment, a date is combined with a seed to provide a uniqueinput value. Employing a current date, an unique output value can beobtained, for example on a daily basis. Although one should appreciateby increasing the granularity of the date information, to include hour,minute, second, as examples, unique input and unique output values maybe obtained on different periods. In other embodiments, different gamesmay be designated differently, for example, by creating a unique namefor each game. The name of the game may be combined with seed data togenerate outputs unique to the game.

One example system for implementing ticket generation as needed withpredetermined outcomes includes the following elements:

A player identification table for storing unique player ids (the playeridentification table may be stored in any number of forms, for example,in a database, as a database, as a lookup table, as an index into otherdatabases or tables, as a file, as browser readable code, and as text,among other options, including as an xml file, data record, forexample); player criteria for determining if a player is qualified toparticipate in a particular promotion; a record for storing ticketgeneration values or the information used to derive a ticket generationvalue; a prize matrix identifying for possible rewards according toconstraints established on operation of the promotion; constraints fordetermining a prize matrix including, but not limited to, for example,probability distributions of awards, total prize targets, time period,player status (e.g. player club tier, new player, referral player,affiliated player, high value player); optional qualification criteriafor maintaining eligibility, for example, minimum play, average play,maximum number of promotion participations; ticker creation policies—atticket creation policies control whether a ticket will in fact begenerated, single redemption promotions will only generate a ticket ifnone have been redeemed by the player before, multiple redemptionpromotions will only generate a ticket if the number of allowedredemptions is not/will not be exceeded, etc; a deterministic functionfor generating an randomized and deterministic output value; a retrievalfunction for retrieving a ticket value from a compensation schedule fora game based on the output value—including for example using the outputvalue as an index into a prize matrix, using an output value as a lookupvalue for a prize matrix, using an output value to retrieve a row in aprize matrix and including for example using the output value toretrieve a database record, among other options); and a ticketgeneration component for creating tickets as necessary encoding and/orassociating the particular generated ticket value to the ticket.

In one embodiment, the prize matrix may include a listing of multipleprizes that make up a ticket value, and the system may randomly selectfrom the multiple prizes, and in one alternative, the multiple prizesare listed as they should be presented. In other embodiments, the listof multiple prizes may be tailored to provide indications of a winningoutcome, or may be tailored to increase anticipation of a player. Insome embodiments, ticket values may be segregated based on player status(e.g. player club tier) and in some embodiments, be viewed as separategames. According to one alternative, the system may include a prizeauditing mechanism adapted to verify that each player who participatedin a game did in fact receive opportunities in accordance with therequirements of the game. For example, within a given prize matrix eachplayer should have received an opportunity to win $300. The system mayaudit the opportunities the player was presented with to determinecompliance. In the event that, a player was not provided the scheduledopportunity, a make good period may be added to the game for any playerwho did not receive a compliant opportunity.

According to one embodiment, a promotional game is provided to targetincentives to a large player population. The entity funding thepromotion, oftentimes a casino, establishes a compensation schedule forthe promotional game. The promotional game schedule governs aspects ofthe promotional game, for example, payouts to players, probability ofearning a payout, size of payout, maximum payout amount (e.g. per playerpayout, per promotion payout, per time period payout, etc.). In oneexample, a casino, as the entity funding the promotion also establishesother parameters associated with the promotion, for example thequalifications required to participate.

In one embodiment, the qualifications required to participate in thepromotion serve to target the promotions to a particular playerpopulation, and/or target particular characteristics of players that thecasino has identified. The qualifications are used to create a pool ofplayers qualified to participate in the promotion. In one example, theplayer pool may be further limited by a maximum number of participants,or in another example the pool itself may define the number ofparticipants for a promotion. Given the promotion schedule and thenumber of participants, a prize matrix may be established. For eacheligible player a unique ticket generation value may be created, or forplayers with existing ticket generation values the stored values may beemployed. The deterministic function will be defined, typically, thisoccurs before the rules governing the promotion are established, but mayoccur at any time up and until a ticket is required.

Upon a participation request, a input value is derived from the ticketgeneration value transmitted to the system, or the information used toderive a ticket generation value. The ticket generation value (orinformation to device) may be transmitted with additional information,including player status, and a time, among other options. In oneexample, the time information is combined with the ticket generationvalue to determine the input for the deterministic function. Thefunction outputs a value based on the input, and the output value isused to look up a ticket value stored in the prize matrix. Once a ticketvalue is determined, the system may generate a ticket, or ticketrepresentation, back to the requesting game. In one embodiment, theparticipation request causes a ticket to be generated wherein the ticketis associated with a ticket value, either directly or indirectly. Theticket information may be transmitted in response to the participationrequest and a ticket generated at the location from which the requestwas received.

In one example, the player pool is comprised of a number of knownplayers, i.e. players with player records, and a number of new players.In one embodiment, a system may create ticket generation values for theknown players and store the value as part of the player record. For somenew players a player record will be created and a ticket generationvalue may be stored for those players as well. According to anotherembodiment, conventional tickets will be generated for new players whoare qualified and do not have player records. In one example, theconventional ticket may encode an identifier that may be used to accessa predetermined game result at a later time.

Using tickets in conjunction with ticket generation values, according tosome embodiments, may simplify the process of incorporating new playersinto a promotional game, where information may not be verified, forexample, or where the funding entity for the promotion wishes to haveinformation verified through use of the promotion, as another example.One should appreciate the combining of ticket generation values andconventional ticketing processes can yield efficiencies—and inparticular where new players are concerned, incorporation ofconventional ticketing processes may improve efficiencies. In onealternative, unique tickets may be printed with ticket generationvalues. Only upon a participation request would an real ticket andoutcome be generated for the ticket.

When a participating player attempts to participate in, for example, apromotional game, a player with a conventionally issued ticket will bepermitted to redeem the ticket for whatever outcome is determined to beassociated with the ticket (as long as all qualifying events are met),and for a player with a record identifying a ticket generation value, aticket may be generated at the time the player attempts to participatein the game. In another example, the ticket may be generated when theplayer attempts to redeem any promotional entry and/or award.

Game Machine Examples

In one embodiment, ticket generation values may be used in conjunctionwith existing games, for example, at a casino. In one example, a playerwho is a member of a frequent player club program qualifies forparticipation in a promotional event. The qualifications forparticipation may be established by the casino operator or may beestablished by the promotion operator. In some embodiments,qualification for participation may be the first step in receiving apromotion award. In particular, the initial qualification will triggeran opportunity to participate in a promotional game, but additionalqualification criteria may be applied in order to receive an award (thatis if the outcome is an award). For example, the player may be qualifiedbut still be required to perform an action within the casino, forexample. The action may be a single action, or may be an ongoing one. Inone example, the player is a slot machine player. The player, uponinserting his/her player card into the slot machine, receives a messageindicating the qualification for a promotion. In one alternative, theplayer may receive notification of qualification for a promotion inadvance of beginning play at the slot machine. For example, the playermay receive an e-mail indicating qualification based on previous play,or notification of qualification as an incentive to prompt a visit to agambling location and/or affiliated location, among other options.

The notification of qualification may simply indicate the player isqualified, for example in a promotion that does not require furtheraction. In such an example, the inserting of the player card in themachine, triggers a request to a casino management system that monitorsinformation associated with the player's game play and related activity.In one embodiment, the request to the casino management system includesa request to determine if the player is eligible for any promotion, inthe event an eligible promotion is detected, the notification regardingqualification is returned. The determination of eligibility may occurwithin the gaming location, e.g. casino, and may require externalsystems and transmission of messages between the external system and thegaming location, for example between the casino and the promotionoperator. Details associated with messaging transactions are described,via illustrative examples, in greater detail herein.

In some embodiments, information associated with the promotion qualifiedfor is also returned—for example maximum prizes in the promotion andminimum prize in the promotion, among other options. In anotherembodiment, a player may qualify for multiple promotions, thenotification provides information on each. In one example, the qualifiedpromotions are summarized to fit within any display associated with theslot machine or other gaming machine being used. In the event ofmultiple qualifications, computer logic may be employed to select apromotion with the greatest value for the player. In some embodiments,although a player may qualify for multiple promotions there may beimposed a restriction on a number of promotions per time period, forexample, day. In some embodiments, the player may be presented with alist of qualified promotions and be given an opportunity to the selectthe promotion the player wishes to participate in.

Once the request is made to the casino management system and the playeris determined to be eligible for a particular promotion, the player'srecord is accessed to recover the ticket generation value, or in onealternative, to access information associated with the player to derivethe ticket generation value. In some embodiments, a ticket value isretrieved and displayed immediately through use of an electronic ticket.In some other embodiments, a ticket and its value are displayed at theconclusion of the game being played (e.g. slot machine game, video pokergame, video keno, video bingo, video slots, video blackjack, etc.). Inanother embodiment, only the ticket is displayed and the player mustaccess the ticket value through use of information contained on theticket.

In one embodiment, continuing activity is required to maintainqualification, for example, a minimum number of wagers per hour, minimumaverage wager per hour, and continued played over a time period, amongother options. The player record may be accessed on entry by the playerof their frequent player card and the ticket generation value recoveredto determine, for example, a predetermined prize the player is eligiblefor should the maintenance qualification be satisfied. Alternatively, arequest to recover the ticket generation value and corresponding ticketgeneration may take place only upon completion of the maintenancequalification. In one embodiment, initial qualifications may bemaintained at a gambling location, and initiation of a player of anactivity at the gambling location prompts a request to determine playerqualification for a promotion. The initial determination that a playeris qualified to participate is made at the gambling location usingequipment local to the gambling location. The gambling location thenpasses a request to systems controlled by the gaming operator. In oneexample the request includes a unique identifier for the player, and thegame operator uses the unique identifier to recover the ticketgeneration value (for use as input). Additional information may beincorporated with the unique identifier to generate multiple uniqueoutputs from a deterministic function. In one example the additionalinformation includes a current date, in another current time (otherexamples include gambling location name, and game name, among others).

In one embodiment, the ticket generation value is used to generate notonly the ticket and its value, but also to recover additionalrequirements for redeeming any potential award. For example, additionalrequirements may include a minimum rate of play, a requirement to play aspecific game, and a requirement associated with timing of play,location of play among other options. In response to recovering theticket generation value for the player, a game operator may sendinformation to the gambling location operator necessary to generate aticket for the player. The ticket may indicate a potential value of anyoutcome that the player may be entitled to, or the ticket may provide anindicator that allows access to the value of any outcome. In oneexample, the ticket may include an access code that can be later used toaccess the result. In one embodiment, the ticket is a coupon foradditional play of the gaming machine accessed to initiate thepromotional protocol. In another embodiment, ticket is a coupon for playof another game.

Examples of Messaging Exchange

According to one aspect, an event triggers a request to determine ifplayer is qualified for a particular promotion. The event may be acasino related event, initiation of gambling, for example, and may be asimple as visiting the gambling establishment. In one embodiment theevent is logging into a gaming system online. The request to determineeligibility includes an identifier for the particular player, and insome examples, the identifier is used as the ticket generation value forthe player. Other qualifying events can be used in conjunction withticket generation as discussed and incorporated herein.

In one embodiment, where the player plays video poker, the entry of theplayer's frequent player card may be the triggering event. In responseto entering the frequent player card, a message is sent to a CMS (casinomanagement system) accessing that player's record to, for example, trackplay. The message may trigger additional access to that player'sinformation, and in particular, additional information may includequalification information. In response to the initial player informationaccess, a CMS system may also send a request to a game managementsystem, including a unique identifier for the player in the request.

The game management system may determine eligibility, and for eligibleplayers, additional qualifications. If it is determined the player iseligible and qualified, the game management system returns a message tothe CMS. The return message may include information sufficient for theCMS to have a ticket generated for the player. The ticket may haveadditional conditions required to be performed in order receive anyprize. In one example the return message may encode the on demand resultfor the game. In another example, the return message encodes informationfor generation of a promotional ticket. In one embodiment, the returnmessage can include an electronic representation of the ticket forsubsequent printing and/or display.

OTHER EXAMPLES Referral Networks

Various sources may be used to generate seed values and/or, informationfrom which to derive input values. Referral Network methods and systemsprovide sources of information from which seed values can be generated,as well as additional information that can be advantageouslyincorporated into ticket generation.

According to one aspect of the disclosure, it is appreciated that it maybe desirable to create games that provide prizes that provide people theopportunity to play games for free, a specific fee or at a discountedfee at locations away from the casino in order to win incentives thatwill encourage them to visit a casino or other gambling location. Thesegames can be used in conjunction with the ticket generation functionsdiscussed herein. Additionally these games may be provided separately,but used as a source of information for ticket generation processes.Furthermore the player records associated with these games can provide alocation in which to store and/or associated seed values.Advantageously, as discussed herein, these games can be provided withminimal maintenance as entries into the game need not be created untilthe player or person actually attempts to participate.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, it is also desirable toinvite qualified persons to either return to or initially visit agambling location based upon their projected interest in gambling andtheir projected worth as a gambling customer. It is further desirable toautomate some or all of the monitoring and fulfillment process usingcomputer networks such as those found within the Internet infrastructureand the gambling location's player tracking infrastructure. The playerrecords, the game records and various game machines can either alone orin combination be assigned values used for ticket generation.

In one example game format, a player participating in a frequent playerprogram is provided a prize to encourage the player to return to thecasino or other establishment. Frequent player program information canbe used to establish values used to generate tickets upon entryrequests. The ticket upon generation can be associated with a prize. Theprize may be in the form of, for example, a non-cashable credit forplaying additional games, a complimentary offer, and/or promotionalprizes. In this way, the casino or other establishment generally canincrease revenue as the number of return players increases.Additionally, the casino or other establishment can minimize the costsassociated with players who do not participate. In one example gameformat, the player is presented the non-cashable credit, complimentaryoffer, and/or promotional prize opportunity in an interface of acomputer system. For instance, the player may be revealed the awardedprize(s) in a computer system coupled to the Internet that communicateswith a website of an operator.

According to yet another aspect, players may refer other players orpotential players that should also receive prizes, bonus play awards,play incentives, and other promotional material. A referral may be madeby specifically providing another players contact information. Areferral typically includes contact information, for example e-mail, topermit delivery of an incentive, invitation, bonus play opportunity, orother advertising and marketing material to the referred player.Referrals may also occur in the course of trying to achieve/redeemmultiparty bonus play offers, multiparty incentives, multiparty awards,or multiparty prizes. It is realized that encouraging return play ofgroups not provides additional benefit the gambling and affiliatedlocation operators but also increases the ability to provide largerincentives. In one example, a player receives an invitation toparticipate in a multiparty bonus game. In order to qualify and/orredeem the bonus, required is another 10 players who also agree toparticipate. The referring player may forward the invitation to 10 ormore people s/he knows to meet the requirements of the offer. Referralsmay be tracked, and the referrals themselves may identify a group ofpotential/actual players whom the referring players has somerelationship, e.g. friend, peer, family, associate, etc. Knowledge abouta player tracked through player club membership, for example, can becoupled with knowledge about his/her associates and relationships toidentify candidates likely to share similar interests, and in theexample of a valued player, candidates who are also likely to be/becomevalued players. Each referral can trigger creation of a player recordthat can be used to generate or store information for subsequent ticketgeneration. Additionally, a referral may be sent with information forsubsequent ticket generation. In one example, a seed value can beassociated with a referral.

According to another aspect, it is appreciated that a high value playerlikely shares characteristics in common with her/her associates,friends, family, and peers that would make that player's associates,friend, family, and peers good candidates for being high value playersthemselves. It is realized that any increase in the likelihood of actualredemption of bonus play offers, represents value to gambling locations,their affiliates, and marketers of the same. It is realized that,utilizing the relationship between an already identified valued playersand potential new players and/or players with the potential to becomehigh value players, many of the problems associated with marketing tothe general population, and even marketing to existing players areovercome. It is further realized that valued players may be analyzed toidentify characteristics of valued players and then target otherperson/potential players with similar characteristics for receipt ofawards, incentives, and/or other marketing material.

Moreover, a player who visits gambling establishments regularly mayserve as an additional incentive to players who would be unlikely tovisit a gambling establishment on their own. In other words, a regularplayer may be incented to organize less receptive players intoperforming actions at a gambling location. Having the regular playerorganize and sometimes manage a trip to a gambling location increasesthe likelihood that the reluctant player will redeem in a bonus playaward/incentive, because the reluctant/new player is more likely to jointhe regular player in a visit to a gambling location rather than visiton his/her own.

In yet another aspect, a player is able to create and maintain areferral network. Additionally, in another example an operator isresponsible for maintaining a referral network based on referralsentered by a particular player. The operator may be a gambling locationoperator, an operator of an affiliated location, or an independent bonusoperator. In one example, the referral network includes identifyinginformation for each referral that enables an operator to direct bonusplay incentives/awards not only to the player, but also to the membersof the referral network. Additionally, information associated with theplayer and the members of the referral network can be used to generatevalues used to create tickets when the player or any member of thereferral network attempts to participate in an offer. In anotherexample, unique seed values may be associated with the player and/ormembers of the network. The seed values can be used to generate ticketsinto bonus play games at later times, and obviating the need forpregenerated entries. Bonus play incentives and awards may be delivereddirectly to the referral network, for example, via e-mail or othercommunication means. Additionally, bonus play incentives/awards may bedelivered indirectly.

According to another aspect, a referral network may be used to qualifymembers of the referral network for participation in bonus play games.In one example, when the hub of the network qualifies for bonus play, asdiscussed herein, the entire referral network may also be qualified forbonus play. In one embodiment, the referral network may be used todefine a friend play group. Friend play groups may actually emphasizethe relationship between the members of the referral network and/orrequire a particular relationship. In one embodiment, the informationentered with respect to referral requests a designation of therelationship between the referrer and the referee. Friend groups may beassociated with a group seed value. The seed value may be combine withadditional information upon a ticket generation request to uniquelyidentify the members of the group. In one group game setting, a win byany member of the group can be a win for all the members and individualidentification is not necessary.

A bonus operator may use existing friend play groups to target offersand awards to groups associated with valued players. It is realized thatplayers who engage in bonus play and visit casinos are likely toassociate with others who share the same or similar interests. Makingthose associates/friends more likely to participate in bonus games andvisit casinos. Various criteria may be identified as indicative of apropensity to play, game, and gamble. Recognition of those criteriaallows an operator to extend and target marketing and promotionalmaterial into segments of similar character. Segments of people who areassociated with a valued player are likely to share characteristics thatmake them receptive to similar offers and incentives as the referrer.

According to another aspect, the friend play networks and more generallyreferral networks can be used as a feedback mechanism to hone in oncharacteristics that correlate with receptiveness to incentive offersand awards. In one example, incentive offers may be used to target aparticular characteristic within a referral network. Tracking the rateof participation across referral networks yields information on thestrength of the correlation between that characteristic andredemption/participation rates. Additional information may be derivedacross multiple networks having similar characteristic(s). Not only canspecific characteristics be identified and tested, but informationcollected on referrals and the referrers themselves can provide insightinto the profile of an ideal player. The ideal player profile allows foridentification of characteristics in common of the players who make upthe 5/50 group of players. These profiles can be used to identifypotential players who are more likely to game, gamble, or participate inincentive offers. In order to facilitate collection of information, eachreferral may be required to contain at least some identifyinginformation about the referral, for example, relationship to referrer.Additional incentives may be provided for any additional informationprovided. Additional information may include, for example, informationon activities, hobbies, work information, etc. Referral network and/orprofile information can also be used to select a prize matrix from amonga group of prize matrixes as discussed above.

According to one aspect of the disclosure, a method to provide incentivefor a person to take an action in at least one gambling location isprovided. The method comprises acts of a) inviting a qualified person toplay an electronic game; b) permitting, within a specified time period,the qualified person to complete electronic game play which has aplurality of outcomes, at least one of which is a winning outcome; andc) permitting the qualified person to redeem an outcome, wherein thequalified person must take an action within a specified time period.According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the action must takeplace at least one redemption location that may include the gamblinglocation. According to another embodiment, the method further comprisesan act of qualifying the person to play the electronic game. Accordingto another embodiment the method further comprises acts of permittingthe qualified person to refer an invitation to at least one otherperson, wherein the invitation comprises an opportunity to play theelectronic game which can be located away from the gambling location.According to another embodiment, the act of permitting, within aspecific time period, includes permitting, within a specific timeperiod, the at least one other person to complete electronic game playwhich has a plurality of outcomes, at least one of which is a winningoutcome. According to another embodiment, the act of permitting thequalified person to redeem, includes permitting the at least one otherperson to redeem an outcome, wherein the at least one other person musttake an action in at least one of a redemption location and gamblinglocation within a specified time period.

One aspect of the disclosure relates generally to inviting qualifiedpeople to play an electronic game which has a plurality of outcomes, atleast one of which is a winning outcome. The act of accepting aninvitation can be a trigger for a request to generate a ticket asdiscussed above. Additionally, an attempt to redeem an outcome may beused to generate a ticket into a game. Outcomes or winnings are redeemedby an entity, usually a person (referred to as, for example, a player)that takes an action in at least one specified gambling location oraffiliated location. In at least some examples, the action can trigger arequest to generate a ticket. Time limits may constrain when the gamecan be played, when winnings are redeemable and when the specified taskmust be completed.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, the electronic game maybe an online game that is offered over the Internet, for example. In oneinstance, the game may be an online game that provides one or morerevealed outcomes to a player during play of the online game. To thisend, various aspects of the disclosure may be facilitated using areveal-based online game.

Another aspect of the disclosure relates to inviting a qualified person,where there is a determination of the qualification of that person. Theterm “qualified” as used herein indicates that a person or persons areplaced, based on a variety of criteria, into specific categories andeach qualified category may be eligible for a different game, orcombination of games, different outcomes, different likelihoods ofreaching a given outcome, different award schedules, different visitrequirements for redemption and/or different task completionrequirements for redemption. For example, specific time limits may beimposed based upon player categories, game types, winning outcomeredemptions, award size and task completion requirements.

Qualification is important because a relatively few people areresponsible for a disproportionately large amount of play. This conceptis sometimes referred to as the 5-50 rule because, in approximation, 5%of players of casino games, for example, are typically responsible for50% of total revenues. According to one aspect of the disclosure, asystem and method is provided for qualifying people according to theirperceived worth. For example, such qualification may be based uponcriteria such as player performance history, current play levels or evenprojected play levels based upon the details of a potential player'soccupation, income level, age, gender, background, personal preferences,location of residence, employment history and/or other such criteria,including personal information such as birthday or anniversary, eitheralone or in combination. Qualification information can be used during aprocess for generating tickets. For example, qualification informationmay be combined with other information to generate input values for adeterministic function. Additionally, qualification information can beused to select a prize matrix from which the process retrieves anoutcome.

Further, qualification may be based upon taking an action, attending anevent or visiting a location on a particular date. For example, a verbalinvitation could be extended to each person that purchases a Cadillac. Aprinted invitation is given to all people over the age of 21 thatattended a concert or an invitation could be extended to anyone thatvisits a particular website or physical location. These qualificationsmay be made based solely upon the individual or based in whole or inpart, on criteria applied to the spouse, family member, friend or peergroup. In one embodiment, qualification may require referral of thespouse, family member, friend or peer group.

According to one aspect, players may refer other players or potentialplayers to receive invitations both for themselves and for the referredplayer. Invitations may relate to bonus play awards, play incentives,and other advertising and marketing material. In one example, a playerprovides contact information for another person. The other person mayreceive the same invitation that the referring player received, or theother person may receive an invitation tailored to that particularplayer. In addition to contact information, a referring player may bepermitted to input personal information about a referee that enablesmore specific tailoring of incentive offers/invitations. Incentiveoffers/invitation may also be determined for a player based on theirlocation information as determined by one or more location-basedservices.

A referral typically includes contact information, for example e-mail,to permit delivery of an incentive, invitation, bonus play opportunity,or other advertising and marketing material to the referred player.Referrals may also occur in the course of trying to qualify for, or aspart of performing a required action in order to redeem a multipartybonus play offer, multiparty incentive, or multiparty award. In oneexample, a player receives an invitation to participate in a multipartybonus game. In order to qualify and/or redeem the bonus, at least 10players must agree to participate. The referring player may forward theinvitation to 10 or more people s/he knows to meet the requirements ofthe offer. One should appreciate that the number of additionalparticipants can vary across a number of embodiments. In someembodiments, the number of additional players may exceed 100, 1000, orother options, and in another may be as few as one additional player.The specific examples provided (e.g. 10 players) should not be read aslimiting the disclosure to the example disclosed.

In another example, referrals may be automatically generated byoperators of gambling establishments, affiliated locations, redemptionslocations, or other locations. For example, play of an online game maytrigger an invitation to the online player, the invitation may includeincentives to provide additional information, and/or information onother people who may be interested in participating in the invitation.In another example, a qualified player playing an online game may beassociated with other players of the online game. An invitation may bedirected to the online player, with the option of forwarding theinvitation to that player's associates.

According to one embodiment, parameters are established by which personsare invited to play an electronic game at a website. Parameters mayinclude, but are not limited to, terms of invitation, qualification,game play type, quantity and outcome schedule, required actions, timeperiods and redemptions. All invited persons may be grouped into asingle category with shared parameters or various classes of persons maybe created with each category given a specific set of parameters whichmay be different from parameters assigned to other categories.

As discussed above, based on an event that occurs (e.g., an action takenby the player, an occurrence with the gambling location, amongstothers), an invitation may be generated and delivered to the user. Asdiscussed further below, the invitation may be generated in response toan action. According to another embodiment, the person must first takean action or participate in an activity at a gambling location oraffiliated location in order to receive an invitation to play theelectronic game. The action or activity can include, for example:wagering a proscribed amount of money, winning or losing a proscribedamount of money, activating a player club or frequent player account,reaching a bonus round on an electronic gaming machine, being awarded amystery bonus from an electronic gaming machine, being present in thecasino when another event occurs, playing specific casino games orelectronic gaming machines, purchasing merchandise, attending an event,withdrawing money from a casino ATM, redeeming winnings, or any otheraction by a player. It should be appreciated that there is a wide rangeof ways that a person may take an action or participate in an activityat the gambling location or affiliated location, and such actions arecontemplated for use with various embodiments. An attempt to accept aninvitation can be the precipitating event that triggers a request togenerate a ticketed entry.

In another embodiment, a person may initiate play at a specific websiteand win an outcome that may only be redeemed at a different website or avirtual world such as within Linden Lab's “Second Life” virtual world. Awinning outcome there may require a person to then visit a specificplace of business which may be a gambling site to redeem the outcome.

According to an alternative embodiment, player invitations may also beawarded based of off location based criteria. The location basedcriteria may be used with both web-site award and gambling locationactivity as discussed herein. Location based criteria may be determinedusing location based services, and in one example using GPS systems todetermine a location relative to a gaming establishment.

Location Based Services

In one embodiment, LBS may be used to facilitate game play of anincentive game, or other type of game. In one example, an assassinationgame may be played where players use LBS to locate and assassinate otherplayers. Such a game may be confined to gaming location, or may takeplace over a larger area. Typically, the last player “alive” wins.

According to some embodiments, LBS may be integrated with casinomanagement systems to facilitate, for example, a Russian roulette slotgame. The casino management system may randomly select locations andeliminates players within a certain distance of, or who are within therandomly selected location, until only the winning player(s) remain.

A player may also be qualified to receive an invitation based upon dataprovided or actions taken in response to a separate invitation. Theplayer may first be invited to play games for entertainment only (noredeemable outcomes). In order to play the games, the player would berequired to register and provide personal information (name, address,date of birth, etc). From that personal information, the system wouldqualify the player for an invitation to play an electronic game whichhas a plurality of outcomes that could be redeemed at the gamblinglocation or affiliated location.

The system could do this by comparing the personal information providedwith a database of similar information. The database could include acorrelation of demographic information with categories of player valueto the gambling location. As an example, the system could utilize adatabase of median income by address to determine the potential value ofthe player. The system could also utilize algorithms to analyze thepersonal information to determine categories of player value to thegambling location. As an example, using an algorithm, the system coulddetermine the distance between the gambling location and the player'shome address. Players living closer to the gambling location may have ahigher likelihood to visit the gambling location.

The qualification of the player may also be based on actions taken whileplaying the games for entertainment only. As an example, playerschoosing to play specific electronic games (i.e. slot machines) may beconsidered more valuable to the gambling location. For those players, adifferent invitation with different possible outcomes may be provided.Qualifying actions could be based on games played, game strategiesemployed, or duration of play.

The first invitation is not limited to the play of electronic games forentertainment only. The invitation to take an action may be to sign upfor a gambling location's frequent player card or any activity thatsolicits player personal information that could be used to estimate theplayer's value to the gambling location. A qualification of the playermay also be provided based upon gathered data, without the need for aplayer action. For instance, an invitation may be extended to the playerbased on player demographics without having the player play a game forpure entertainment. In one example, the player may be presented toreceive an award based on information collected about the player such aslocation or income level.

According to one aspect, lists of referrals made by players are trackedto generate groups of people believed to have, as a group, a more likelyaffinity for gambling than the general population. In one embodiment, aplayer enters referrals into an interface for tracking and delivery ofincentives to the referral list. These tracked referrals are referred toas a referral network. Typically, a referral network describes a networkof people with some tie to the referrer. It is realized that associatesof a player likely share similar interests and thus the members of thereferral network likely have characteristics in common with thereferring player. The identifying of a player of value, as discussedherein, may be translated to the player's network. Making the members ofthe network more likely to become/be player's of value as well.

Historical tracking and analysis of referrals of invitations may also beused to identify players of value within referral networks. In oneexample, it is recognized that for a player who always or often refersother high value players, their next referral will also likely be a highvalue player, even if unknown. Moreover, the referral of unknown playersmay be of particular value, and in one example a premium is provided forsuch a referral. The premium may be provided both to the referringplayer and to the referred player.

Players with established referral networks may receive reports on the“value” of their referral network. Often the valuation of the network isprovided to operators of gambling locations, affiliated locations, andto the provider of the referral network system. Valuation reports mayindicate members of the referral network that are reducing its value,prompting players to police their own networks. According to oneembodiment, your referrals increase your value as a player.Additionally, referrals' referrals may impact a player's standing. Inone example, each subsequent level of referrals may have an impact on aplayer's valuation and/or standing.

Referral codes may also be used and need not be printed on a coupon.Referral codes may be generated completely electronically. Referralcodes may be generated and forwarded directly by a referral tointerested individuals and/or groups. According to one aspect, theability to forward access codes directly incents active involvement ofreferring entities into the referral process. The referrer obtains areferral code(s), in one example through gambling activity, and in onealternative from engaging in business from which referrals are made.Referral codes may be generated for gambling establishments to provideto new customers. In one example, a player may sign up for a frequentrewards program, and receive a package with bonus play incentives. It isrealized that by providing referral codes, that newly signed up playermay choose to remain anonymous, until he/she has won an award in thebonus play, in which case in order to redeem the player must identifyhim/herself. Referral codes may themselves be seed values, that can beused when participation is desired to create a ticket for entry into agame. The referral codes may also be combined with other information togenerate an input into a deterministic function that permits generationof tickets.

According to another aspect, a player may track and maintain a referralnetwork through a referral network interface. The interface permits aplayer to generate groups of other players with whom the referrer has arelationship. Multiple groupings may be entered by a player. In oneexample, a player may create a friends group by entering in informationabout other players, considered friends.

In one example, a player accesses the referral network interface toinput contact information for referred players. In one example, wherethe referral network is automatically generated, the player may reviewthe status of the referral network, its impact on that player's value,and/or maintain the referral network by adding additional referrals,deleting referred players from the network, among other options.

A referral may be made by specifically referring another player. Thereferral typically including contact information, for example e-mail, topermit delivery of an incentive, invitation, bonus play opportunity, orother advertising and marketing material to the referred player. In someexamples, the referral network system associates a seed value to anyreferral for later use in generating tickets. In other examples, avalues can be calculated from the contact information for the referredplayer.

Referrals may also occur in the course of trying to achieve/redeemmultiparty bonus play offers, multiparty incentives, or multipartyawards. In one example, a player receives an invitation to participatein a multiparty bonus game. In order to qualify and/or redeem the bonus,required is another 10 players who also agree to participate. Forexample, the referring player may forward the invitation to 10 or morepeople s/he knows to meet the requirements of the offer. Referrals maybe tracked, and the referrals themselves may identify a group ofpotential/actual players whom the referring players has somerelationship, e.g. friend, peer, family, associate, etc. Knowledge abouta player tracked through player club membership, for example, can becoupled with knowledge about his/her associates and relationships toidentify candidates likely to share similar interests, and in theexample of a valued player, candidates who are also likely to be/becomevalued players. One should appreciate that various requirements may beused to qualify for incentive offers, also various criteria may be usedin order to redeem incentive offers. The preceding example of 10additional players should not be read as limiting, and any number ofadditional players may be used as qualification and/or redemptioncriteria.

According to another aspect, incentive offers to referrals may be madedirectly to the members of a referral network, but also incentive offersmay be made indirectly. For direct offers, the offer itself mayreference the referring player, his/her identity, or provide someindication that the incentive offer is being provided as part ofparticipation in a referral network. Incentive offers may be deliveredto the referral network hub and all the members of his/her referralnetwork. Additionally, certain offers may be tailored to subsets ofreferral networks. For example, members of a referral network whoconsistently play/ed table games may receive incentive offers directedto table type games.

Indirect offers may include, for example, extending an invitation to areferrer to incent the referrer to “pass along” the offer to anotherparty. In one example, an incentive offer is extended to the hub of areferral network, the offer requires participation of at least 10 otherplayers in order to qualify and redeem the offer. The incentive offermay be for free play, bonus play, credit, points, prizes or othermerchandise, for example. Group prizes can be commensurately larger andthus the incentive on the referrer and potential players he/she passesthe offer along to may be increased.

It is realized that offers/invitations may be extended to a particularplayer to get additional players to act. Indirect invitation may bespecifically targeted to specific characteristics that are thought to becommon to players who are more likely to game and/or gamble. Theredemption rates of such indirect offers provide real time feedback asto whether the particular characteristic is in fact a good indicator ofplayers who are more likely to redeem incentive offers. By targetingdifferent characteristics of known high value players, a generic profileof a high value player may be created and used to target futureincentives.

According to one aspect, characteristics of a valuable player may bedetermined from existing valuable players, their demographicinformation, and the associations and/or relationships the playermaintains. It is realized that providing incentive to a player toprovide information about him/herself is of value. In addition, playersare often reluctant to provide too much information on themselves beyondname and contact information sufficient to participate in player clubs.Enabling a player to achieve additional and/or increased awards byestablishing and maintaining a referral network, provides additionalinformation with respect to the player, his/her associates, and possiblyactivities outside gambling locations. It is realized that the moreinformation that can be generated on a particular player, the better theability to direct incentive offers, not only to that player, but also tothat player's associates, and also to segments of the population thatshare, or have similar characteristics. According one embodiment,incentives may be tailored to require additional information in order toqualify and/or redeem awards. In one example, invitations for specificoffers may be tailored to required information on other players. Thevalue associated with particular offers may increase as the detailand/or sensitivity of the information provided increases.

Other systems and methods may be used to aggregate and retrieveinformation on players, gaming establishments, gambling establishments,and/or affiliated locations. These system and methods can be used toestablish static information associated with a player, game, gamingestablishment, gambling establishment, and the static information usedin a method for generating tickets on demand. Additional informationaggregation systems and methods can be used to provide dynamicinformation that can be combined in a predictable manner with staticvalues and/or information and the combination used to generate ticketson demand. The information provided may also be used during the courseof ticket generation, to select from a group of compensation rules, andfor example, players with higher potential (or actual) value may beprovided larger potential compensation. In one example, static valuesare combined with dynamic values to provide, predictably and repeatably,an input to a deterministic function. In one example, the staticvalue(s) is associated with a player record. In another example, staticinformation associated with a player is converted into the value. Theoutput of the function is used to retrieve a predetermined outcome.Thus, permitting on demand ticket generation for predetermined outcomeswithout compromising the nature of the game.

EcoSystem

Additional examples of information aggregation systems as described inco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/345,289 entitled “SYSTEMAND METHOD FOR COLLECTING AND USING PLAYER INFORMATION,” filed Dec. 29,2008, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/016,801 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORCOLLECTING AND USING PLAYER INFORMATION,” filed Dec. 26, 2007 both ofwhich applications are incorporated herein by reference. As discussedtherein, traditional methods of collecting player information includeinformation collected by player tracking systems, such as, for example,International Game Technology's Advantage system, Bally Technology'sSlot Management System and Table Management System. Player trackingsystems are useful for automating some or all of the tasks required toprovide additional incentives for frequent or loyal play. For example,points may be awarded for every unit of wagers made and those points maybe redeemed for prizes.

Player tracking systems utilize magnetic striped cards to hold a uniqueidentifier which is associated with a specific person's account. Eachgambling machine and/or table game position is equipped with acompatible card reader. A person wishing to allow their gamblingactivities to be monitored inserts their card into the compatible cardreader. Other identification techniques are also useful with playertracking systems and include but are not limited to biometricidentification, smart cards and Hollerith cards. In some cases,additional identity authentication is required such as entering a PIN orpassword on a keypad or touchscreen.

Most player tracking systems, include a display which providesacknowledgment that the card was accurately read and associated with anaccount. Typically, for so long as the person's card remains inserted inthe reader, all gambling activity that occurs on the associated gamblinggame is recorded on the identified account.

Such activity is monitored and tracked by casinos and other gamingestablishments to determine, among other things, a classification of aparticular player. Such activities are monitored to determine comppackages, such as free hotel rooms, casino credits and other incentivesthat may be used to retain the player's business, or to encourage areturn visit to the casino.

Numerous organizations and companies have incentive programs forcustomers. For example, airlines have frequent flyer programs that allowa member passenger to take free trips or provide other perks after themember has taken a minimum number of flights or has flown a minimumnumber of miles. Numerous other types of establishments, including hotelchains, chain stores, and movie rental companies, have similar programsused to incentivize a customer.

Casinos also often have similar frequent player programs that provideincentives for continued customer patronage. For instance, the FoxwoodsCasino (Mashantucket, Conn.) offers a program referred to as WampumRewards. A player participating in the program receives a card which theplayer uses whenever he/she comes to the casino. In one exampleimplementation, the player swipes the card at special kiosks locatedwithin the casino which permit that player to have a chance to winprizes. A Wampum Rewards member may also swipe his or her card wheneverbetting or spending money within the casino and in the associated hotel,resort, or shops. As the player bets or spends more money, the playerbecomes eligible for free or reduced cost perks. Other examples offrequent player programs used in the casino environment include thewell-known Harrah's Total Rewards, Wynn Casino's Red Card, and TrumpCasinos' Trump Card programs (e.g., Trump One Card).

As with frequent flyer programs and other types of incentive programs,typical goals of the casino frequent player program include increasingplayer loyalty, providing incentives to a player to visit the associatedcasinos as often as possible, and encouraging the player to spend asmuch money in the associated establishments as possible. Integrating ondemand ticket generation into incentive systems minimizes the burden ofimplementing these promotions and/or incentives. Minimizing the burdendirectly implicates a reduced cost of operation, not only improvingefficiency for the operator but also permits pass through of the savingsto participants in the form of greater value prizes, awards, andincentives. To further improve the effectiveness of player loyaltyprograms, there is a present and recurring need for new methods toprovide incentives to frequent player program members as well as attractnew players.

Such conventional systems for collecting player information are notsufficient for adequately determining player worth. For instance, a newplayer who has never visited the gaming establishment will be “unknown”to the gaming establishment, and any data provided by the player will beinsufficient for determining their value as a gambler. However, thatperson may be well-known to other gaming establishments, and may have,depending on their behavior at such establishments, widely differentplayer ratings and profiles among the various establishments. That is,the individual activities at each of the gaming establishments areinsufficient for determining the actual worth of the player, as theactual worth of the player is determined by the overall assessment ofhis/her activities. Such an assessment is difficult to be determined, aseach gaming establishment does not grant access to each other's data,and thus a holistic view of the play cannot be determined. In the casewhere there are multiple locations for a casino to which a player mayvisit, and each of these locations may have a separate view of activitythat may be compiled into a total view for the establishment, such atotal view is still incomplete, as there are player activities that arebeyond the view of the establishment.

It would be beneficial to have a system capable of collecting andstoring player performance data from multiple gaming establishments.Such information may be used, for example, to determine a value of aparticular player to a gaming establishment. According to one aspect, asystem is provided that collects player information from multiplesources such as gaming establishments, and creates a rating for a playerthat is more indicative of player value than information collected froma single source. For instance, player information such as ratings,demographics, play history and other player information may be collectedand stored by a player tracking or other type of system. The informationmay be stored in any type of storage (e.g., in a file system, in adatabase, in memory, etc.). Such a system establishes a holistic ratingfor player that is more clearly indicative of player worth, as a resultof collecting information from multiple gaming establishments.

Such a system that collects player rating information from multiplegaming establishments is better than conventional rating systems, asgaming establishments are limited to only the information that they havecollected on a player. Thus, gaming establishments have a limited viewon a player, and thus do not make decisions regarding the playeroptimally. For instance, for a player that plays very little atestablishment X, but plays at establishment Y, the estimated worth ofthe player by establishment X will be lower than that of Y, andestablishment X may be losing opportunities based on their limited viewof the player. Thus, the system can identify opportunities toconsolidate play of the player.

Such a system increases accuracy in knowing number of visits per player,visit frequency, amount spent per visit, which is used to compute worth.For instance, the recency (when was the last time the player visited?),frequency (how frequent does a player visit?), and intensity (how muchdoes the player spend?) or RFI may be used to determine value of aplayer. However, these parameters are affected substantially if aportion of a player's behavior is unknown. By knowing activity at othergaming establishments which may be different than the “limited” view ofa particular gaming establishment, the gaming establishment may moreaccurately rate the player, and perform actions accordingly (e.g., makean offer to the player that is better suited to his/her player rating).

Such a system may track player behavior among multiple establishments,establish a better view of the player, and make better marketingdecisions accordingly. For instance, the player plays craps atestablishment X, but does not play poker. However, the player playspoker at establishment Y at a particular level. Now, because a system isprovided that tracks behavior from multiple gaming establishments,establishment X may make an offer regarding poker based on behavior ofthe player at establishment Y, and that offer may interest the player.

With some conventional information that could be obtained by gamingestablishments, access to player performance information may be limitedto the frequent player info, but info could not be tied to the player.That is, in some forms of information provided by casinos, the onlyinformation available to gaming establishments is the frequent playeridentifier information, but not the actual player identity, which isnecessary to contact the player, make offers, etc. In one aspect,players are enticed to provide their frequent player information and itsassociation to their identity that permits their identities to beidentified with more than one frequent player accounts and theirassociated performance information.

Also, because this information is collected and stored, the system mayhave the capability of functioning as a data clearing house forproprietary performance information from multiple gaming establishments.This information may be traded, sold, auctioned, and/or offered tomultiple entities to perform various functions such as direct marketing,financial analysis, player rating and/or monitoring functions, or otherfunctions.

Further, a system may collect other information regarding the player,and may provide the player information to other organizations. Not onlywould such information be useful for casinos, but other organizations aswell. Further, because the system is capable of providing a moreaccurate assessment of gamblers, the system may successfully correlateother types of information with player gambling tendencies. For example,upon analyzing the player database and holistic view of the players, itmay be determined (e.g., by survey or other methods) that Vodka drinkersconsistently make up the highest tiers of gamblers. Such information maybe used by the system to attract more and better gamblers, but thisinformation may also be sold to casinos for their own advertising andmarketing purposes.

The system may also function as a frequent player points clearing housewhere player's credits or other points may be traded, sold, auctioned,or otherwise transferred between entities. Players may be providedaccess and accounts to the system, and in exchange to access to theirproprietary data, the system may provide other functions that encourageplayer return, such as providing a capability to trade, sell, orotherwise transfer frequent player points with other players, managetheir frequent player accounts, receive offers from casinos and otherestablishments, solicit offers from establishments, and other functions.In one embodiment, a player grants access to their player accountinformation, and the system is configured to obtain and store suchinformation. Further, the system may be capable of collecting otheridentifying information for the player, such as where the player lives,his/her occupation, other demographic information which could be used asdata points by gaming establishments (or other entities) to extendoffers to players.

The system may also provide access to data for players that have no orlimited contact to the gaming establishment, increasing opportunity tomarket to potential new players, using players info identifying playersthat have propensity to gamble, along with their rating as gambler, andother information. The system also provides a more focused avenue fordetermining potential players, thus optimizing their marketinginvestment. For example, a more structured mailing list of potentialgamblers can be created, rather than relying on other less-indicativeforms of data.

According to one embodiment, data could be obtained by the system byeither the gaming establishment providing the information (in exchangefor access to services provided by the system) and/or by “logging on” tofrequent player program tracking systems as the player, with theplayer's identity, password. It is appreciated that player “owns” theirpersonal information, and for gaming establishments that do not wish toshare their proprietary information, the player can grant access totheir personal information for the system. Data may be collected in realtime, and real-time decisions may be made regarding the player (e.g.,the player was playing at Foxwoods today, won/spent/played this much,send him/her a text message of an offer to come over to Mohegan Sun).According to one embodiment, a monitoring system may be provided thatpermits the real-time monitoring of the player so that actions regardingthe player may be performed.

In some cases, gaming establishments may not permit access to playerperformance information (as it is proprietary information), and it maybe beneficial to infer the player's performance. According to oneembodiment, it is realized that the player's rate of spending in aparticular gaming establishment may be inferred through a player'sfrequent player points. More particularly, as the rate of the player'sfrequent player points increases (or decreases as they are used by theplayer), the activity of the player can be inferred. For instance, ifthe player's frequent player points are increasing at a high rate, thatplay of that player may be correlated to a high spend rate. In thismanner, the system need not have access to proprietary performanceinformation to infer a player's spend rate.

In another implementation, entities may be encouraged to provide theirproprietary data. In one embodiment, access to raw performanceinformation from a particular gaming establishment may be prohibited,allaying privacy/competition concerns among those entities that own theinformation. More specifically, the holder of the player ratinginformation may be, according to one embodiment, a neutral entity thatdoes not provide unfettered access to the data, thus encouraging gamingestablishments to share their proprietary data. In one embodiment morefully discussed below, one or more rules may be used to determine accessto data.

Another aspect relates to a network that enables casino patrons tosolicit complimentary offers. In one embodiment, gaming establishments(among other entities) may subscribe to player rating information (e.g.,as provided by a player data collection system) and may use ratinginformation to determine an offer that is extended to player. Such amethod for determining an appropriate offer is better than conventionalrating systems, as gaming establishments are limited to only theinformation that they have collected on a player. According to oneembodiment, an offer could be based either on info provided by player,by offers created by gaming establishment, or combination of theinformation.

According to one embodiment, the system may permit more accurate offersto be extended to players, as the system could track offers accepted byplayer (e.g., what will it take to get this player to accept an offer?).By storing a historical record of packages taken/not taken, moreinformed decisions may be made with regard to what offers should be madeto the player.

Offers extended to players are better, especially for those who have notestablished a play history at a particular gaming establishment. Thisprovides more options for the gambler, as gaming establishments that didnot have prior histories on players can now compete for their business.According to one aspect, it is appreciated that reaching the previouslyunknown player is one of the most valuable opportunities for gamingestablishments. Thus, gaming establishments may more effectively targetplayers that have not established a history.

According to another aspect, an online method is provided for players totrack frequent player information from multiple gaming establishments(or other entities). Players are enticed by tracking feature to providetheir information that permits their identities to be identified withfrequent player accounts and its associated performance information. Inone embodiment, a player is permitted to trade points betweenestablishments, operating as clearing house for player points. Pointprograms may be any type (e.g., casino, hotel, airline, etc.) and mayallow the player to trade between programs. Also, point programs may becreated for gaming machine vendors, software program vendors, etc., thuspermitting the view of the player and the functions that can beperformed by the player with point programs to be more complete.

In another embodiment, gaming establishments are permitted to advertiseon the system, enticing them to have more focused advertising access toplayers that have propensity and capability of gambling, and furtherencouragement to share proprietary information. Advertising displayed toplay may be based at least in part on the identity of the player. Also,player is encouraged to “check their points” and see promotions that areavailable, increasing the likelihood that the advertising reach isincreased.

EcoSystem Data/System Coordination

Various embodiments address the mechanisms, rules and interactions of aset of interdependent systems related to casino loyalty programs andcustomers. According to one embodiment, a collection of systems interactin an ecosystem. The collection of systems may include, for example, acasino loyalty system (e.g., a “CasinoLoyalty” system as discussed morefully below), an advertising network (e.g., an “Ad Network” system), aconsumer website for attracting potential casino patrons (e.g., a“CasinoBonus” system), and a network that enables casino patrons tosolicit complimentary offers (e.g., a “CompOffer” system). Such systemsare shown by way of example in FIG. 10, although it should beappreciated that systems having other structures may be used toimplement various aspects as described herein.

FIG. 10 shows a distributed computer system 1000 capable of collecting,storing, and analyzing player information in accordance with variousembodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, a collection of systemsinteract in a distributed computer system referred to herein as an“ecosystem.” The collection of systems may include, for example, acasino loyalty system (e.g., a “CasinoLoyalty” system as discussed morefully below), an advertising network (e.g., an “AdNetwork” system), aconsumer website for attracting potential casino patrons (e.g., a“CasinoBonus” system), and a network that enables casino patrons tosolicit complimentary offers (e.g., a “CompOffer” system). Such systemsare shown by way of example in FIG. 1, although it should be appreciatedthat systems having other structures may be used to implement variousaspects as described herein.

As distinct and separate systems, these systems provide significantvalue to their independent users and organizations (e.g., a casinooperator). However, when integrated into an overall environment (e.g.,an EcoSystem) that provides the interfaces, rules, security,communications, data integration and analysis, additional features andbenefits are realized.

System Roles within an Ecosystem

One primary role of a consumer website for attracting potential casinopatrons (e.g., a CasinoBonus system) is to attract patrons into anoverall EcoSystem. At that point, the patron may be shown, for example,advertising (e.g., provided by an Ad Network system), provided offers(e.g., via the CompOffer system) and/or provided an opportunity toparticipate in a specific casino's program (e.g., a CasinoLoyaltyprogram).

While a casino loyalty system (e.g., a CasinoLoyalty system) may beprimarily a destination for casino patrons within the EcoSystem, thecasino loyalty system may also provide valuable access to casinos andplayers for the other systems. Similar to how a consumer website (e.g.,as presented by a CasinoBonus system) may attract patrons into theEcoSystem and provides a value proposition whereby the patron providespersonal information, a casino loyalty system may perform the samefunctions with casino operators. By providing a strong value propositionto casino operators, a casino loyalty system may attract casinos intothe EcoSystem and may solicit them to provide comprehensive informationon their casino and player card members.

A purpose of both an advertising system (e.g., a gaming advertisementnetwork as provided by an Ad Network system) and a complimentary offersystem (e.g., a casino-player auction system as provided by a CompOffersystem) within the EcoSystem includes performing revenue-generatingdestinations/functions. By leveraging the patrons, casinos and detailedinformation provided by the other EcoSystem components, these systemsmay be able to provide more compelling and targeted offers to patrons.The EcoSystem further permits the parties (e.g., patrons/players,casinos, advertisers, etc.) to interact with each other throughcommunication within the EcoSystem and for the collective system todetermine what relationships will be defined between the parties.

Mechanisms for Integrating Systems

For the operation of the EcoSystem according to one embodiment, theremay be two primary mechanisms by which the independent systems are ableto communicate and share information—a database (e.g., centralizeddatabase, distributed database, etc.) and/or shared applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs). Such methods may be used to exchangeinformation between communication providers and communication consumers.Various parties may function within the EcoSystem as a consumer orprovider at various points, and may derive benefit through the sharingof information.

Shared APIs and tools may allow the systems to communicate and accordingto one embodiment, may execute the following functions:

-   -   Exchange patron information among system components, entities,        roles, etc.    -   Exchange casino information    -   Exchange third-party promotional information    -   Enter ad campaign information (content and pricing/bid data)    -   Report ad campaign results    -   Report ad inventory levels    -   Enter promotional offer information and assignment rules    -   Determine promotional offers in real time    -   Assign promotional offers to patrons    -   Game sponsorship, awards and results    -   Transfer/purchase/auction of points    -   Merging of patron/player information

According to one embodiment, the database structure may receive andstore information from the various systems in a compartmentalizedfashion so that proprietary data can only be retrieved and utilized perdata security and use rules. At the same time, data from all sources maybe merged to develop a holistic view of the patrons, casino operators,ad campaigns and operation of the overall system. The data may be thensummarized or sanitized into a form that maintains data security whilestill providing valuable information to the various systems. By sharingthis data between the systems: a CasinoLoyalty system may be able toprovide more valuable patrons to casinos; a CompOffer system may be ableto provide a more comprehensive patron profile to third parties; an AdNetwork system can target ads more directly to patrons, casinos, etc.;and a CasinoBonus system can improve customer experiences.

Data Security and Use Rules

According to one embodiment, it is appreciated that it may be importantfor various implementations to provide security of player data and otherdata (e.g., casino-owned proprietary data). In one example, ofimportance to an EcoSystem are the concepts of data security and rulesfor use of the data collected by the four systems. Casino-owned,proprietary information regarding patrons, promotions, and player clubmetrics is integral to the operation of a CasinoLoyalty system. On theother hand, one implementation of a CasinoBonus system may solicit usersto provide their casino loyalty club information along withauthorization to retrieve their individual data from the casino system.This data is clearly owned by the patron and, according to oneembodiment, the CasinoBonus system may be provided access to thepatron-owned data per a data use policy. In addition, the patron's useof all four systems (e.g., games played in a CasinoLoyalty system,content searched by a CasinoBonus system, advertisements viewed in an AdNetwork system, offers solicited/auctioned in a CompOffer system) addsto the information gathered on the patron. That is, the patron/playerbehavior and interaction within the EcoSystem may be used as informationthat can affect future interactions.

To maintain the integrity of the EcoSystem such that casino operators,patrons, advertisers and other third parties are willing to provide therequired data, data security and use rules may be established. Accordingto one embodiment, conventional data security mechanisms withincommunication systems and databases may be used. One implementation ofan EcoSystem may use a combination of restricted access, encryption,data sanitization and summarization to maintain data security.

However, in addition to the fundamental data security mechanisms, oneexample EcoSystem may implement rules for use of the data. These rulesmay include, for example, the level of data shared between the systemsat the discretion of the casino operators, patrons or third parties. Asan example, a casino participating in the CompOffer system might allowpatron information to be shared with non-competitors in differentmarkets. Conversely, a casino operator that operates in multiple gamingjurisdictions might only allow sharing patron information with sisterproperties. As another example, patrons of the CasinoBonus system mayprovide selective access to their information for receiving offers fromthe CompOffer system.

Similarly, the EcoSystem may establish terms of use and regulations thatenhance and protect the integrity of the entire system. Terms of use andregulations may allow, for example:

-   -   advertisers and third parties equal access to patrons    -   casinos to share and access information on equal terms    -   patrons to provide and receive verified information    -   unauthorized and/or harmful use to be identified and eliminated

Aggregation of Data

According to one embodiment, a system and method may be provided foraggregating gaming related compensation offers, loyalty point balancesand win/loss statements over an electronic medium or network ofqualified casino patrons who choose to participate in one or moregambling loyalty programs. Aspects may include one or more of thefollowing, either alone or in combination with other features.

A qualified person (e.g., a patron who is a member of a gambling loyaltyprogram) may be either invited to join the system or may find the systemby other methods. Compensation offers may also be targeted to peoplethat do not participate in loyalty programs or other type of membershipprogram. The qualified person may be required to pay the system aone-time entry fee, monthly subscription or usage fee for access to thesystem.

To utilize the system (e.g., view aggregate compensation offers, loyaltypoint balances and win/loss statements), the qualified person may bepermitted to complete a registration form whereby he/she is required toidentify the gambling loyalty club(s) to which they belong and theninput a unique key into a registration form to each gambling loyaltyclub that he/she is a member of. The unique key may be different foreach unique casino, lottery or other lawful gambling establishment.

On behalf of the qualified person, the system accesses periodically(e.g., hourly, daily, weekly, etc.) each specified account with thecorresponding key and aggregates all available compensation offers,loyalty point balances and win/loss statements and displays theaggregated information in a user interface or series of user interfaces.The data may be collected from multiple accounts for a single player,and a more holistic view of the player's performance may be constructedas a result. By tracking the changing loyalty point balance and win/lossstatement over time, the system can infer the relative worth of thequalified person to each disclosed gambling loyalty membership accountas well as the total value of the qualified person based on all theiraccounts.

In one embodiment, the system makes offer redemption recommendationswhich include additional point purchase options, point exchange andredemption planning strategies and may combine them with othernon-gambling loyalty programs (e.g., airline, car rental, credit card,etc. . . . ) to the qualified person based the available aggregatedloyalty program offers.

Through a series of application interfaces between the system and thevarious gambling player tracking or patron management systems or otherthird-party loyalty systems, the system allows a qualified person totrade their loyalty points with other qualified persons, auction theirpoints to the highest bidder or exchange loyalty points between theperson's various loyalty accounts.

Also, according to another aspect, it is appreciated that most gamblingvenues, such as casinos, find it expensive and difficult to recruit newplayers to the extent desired and therefore focus a majority theirattention and marketing resources on retaining existing players. Inshort, it is easier and cheaper to keep existing players happy than haveto recruit new ones.

Therefore, in conjunction with player tracking systems and an instantbonusing option as described above, casino gaming operators have foundit desirable to offer their patrons extensive loyalty programs thatallow patrons to accumulate loyalty points based on how much they wager.The more the patron wagers, the more points a patron can accumulate. Theaccumulation rate, aside from the gross amount wagered, is determined bysuch factors as the odds of the game and any promotional programs (e.g.,double point days) that are running in conjunction with the loyaltyprogram. These accumulated points are typically converted or redeemed bythe patron for goods, services or cash, or a combination of all three.These redemption options are generally known as the redemption catalog.

Hallmarks of a good loyalty program are the clarity and transparency ofthe loyalty program. For the loyalty program to achieve its purpose(e.g., foster a sense of ownership in the loyalty account and establishthe parameters by which points are accumulated and redeemed), theprogram has to be easy to understand, the accumulation of points shouldbe attainable, the point balance must be accessible, the redemptioncatalog should contain items that the participants value and theredemption process should have few, if any, encumbrances. According toone aspect, it is appreciated that it would be beneficial to have anindependent system that allows players to aggregate their various pointbalances as well as their win/lose statements into one easy to access,easy understand system and user interface. From the players' point ofview, they can easily access their point balances (even if they haveaccounts at multiple establishments) and they can easily understand whatredemption options are available at any given moment. From the gamingestablishments point of view, the simpler and more transparent theirloyalty program is the better the loyalty program will perform.

By tracking the changing point balances and win/loss statement overtime, the system can infer the relative worth (e.g., visit frequency andspend per visit) of the player to each disclosed gambling loyaltymembership account as well as the total value of the qualified personbased on all their accounts. One knowledgeable about the gamblingindustry will appreciate that there is great value in knowing thisinformation and utilizing this information to entice the patron tojoining another gambling establishment's player club. In by doing so,the system could most likely provide a sign up bonus or inducement toplayer that is of commensurate value to worth of the player.

According to another embodiment, it is appreciated that it may be usefulto rate a player relative to other people in the same (or similar)player club(s). For instance, if a particular player has X points morethan the average number of points for all participants at that casino,that player may be determined to be more valuable. Comparison to otherplayers may provide insight into how the player club values people.Also, because a more accurate value of players may be determined, a moreaccurate relative comparison between players may be determined to permitorganizations to more effectively target valuable players.

Additionally, there is great value in allowing a third party toaggregate point balances while providing application interfacesoftware/tools (APIs) that allow the player to trade, auction orexchange points between system providers and other participants so thatthey may optimize their redemption options. Furthermore, it would behighly desirable to expand the scope of the system to allow othernon-gaming loyalty clubs to participate so that the player would havethe widest possible set of redemption opportunities. For example, aplayer may be permitted to exchange rental car points for gaming pointsso the player could redeem the rental car points for a hotel room at thegaming establishment and vice versa. Also, it is appreciated thatnon-gaming loyalty club information may be used in addition to thegaming loyalty club information to obtain a view of the player. Thus, awider view of the player (in areas other than gaming) can be used todetermine player value.

In one embodiment, the EcoSystem (among other system components) mayprovide an environment that serves as a clearing house for points.According to one embodiment, not only can the EcoSystem manage pointsobtained via gambling-related activities, but can manage and track otherpoint programs (e.g., airline frequent flyer programs, hotel loyaltyprograms, etc.) as well. According to one embodiment, players/patronsmay be permitted to exchange different types of points for one another,bid on/purchase points, convert points between programs, among othertransactions and functions. To this end, the EcoSystem may provideinterfaces and/or other types of tools that permit the players toperform such functions. For instance, the EcoSystem (e.g., through aCompOffer system interface) may provide tools to match up potentialtrades between players/patrons (e.g., player X needs 50 points to reacha target point goal in a particular program A, player Y has 50 unusedpoints in program A, but needs 100 points in program B, which player Xhas). Interfaces may be provided that permit players/patrons to viewperformance of others with respect to points (e.g., a leader board forpoints).

Other tools may be provided that permit players/patrons to communicatewith one another. For instance, social networking tools or other typesof communication tools may be provided (e.g., chat functions, tagging,ticketing, voting) to enhance the experience of the player/patron, andto facilitate their use of point-based systems.

Advertising Network

Typical Internet advertising is based on search terms, site content,general demographics for website visitors, geolocation based on the IPaddress of the browsing computer and visitor activity within the site.All of these approaches may be based on the concept that the websitedisplaying the advertising infers knowledge of the individual and theirinterests due to the anonymous nature of the website visit.

Some websites have overcome the anonymous nature of the Internet byproviding access to content such as games only after the website visitorhas provided personally identifiable information about themselves. Thelevel of personally identifiable information required may vary amongwebsites, but there is the added challenge of confirming the validity ofthe information provided. Many website visitors simply enter erroneousdata or use pseudonyms and alternate information. Websites endeavor tomake the content compelling and the value proposition strong enough sothat visitors will enter the correct information, but in most casesshort of entering credit card information to purchase goods or services,there is no validation of the information.

Aspects of the disclosure may address these issues and expand theknowledge of the individual website visitor without requestinginformation such as credit card data that the individual might bereticent to give.

Most casino operators have implemented frequent player cards that areused to track individuals' play in the casino and to award complimentaryoffers for continued play. As an added feature of the player club, themembers are provided electronic access to their point balances, win/lossstatements, complimentary offers and other personalized data about theircasino activity. This set of data provides a wealth of information aboutthe player's activity that may not even be apparent to the playerhimself.

Additionally, because casinos continue to expand as entertainment venuesthat include wagering and non-wagering activities, the informationgained from the player club information is ever expanding and includesdata of value beyond the casino industry.

Furthermore, due to the ubiquitous nature of casinos, most casinopatrons are members of multiple player clubs. Combining the player clubinformation from various casino operators for an individual gives aholistic view of the patron that contains valuable information andinsight into the patron's gaming activities, finances, entertainmentchoices, travel plans, big ticket purchases, etc.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to soliciting individuals to providetheir player card details for all casinos for which they are members ofthe player club. From that information, the system can automaticallyquery the casino's player club database, either directly or through webservices that are provided via the casino's website. Algorithms may bethen used to correlate the information across the various casinooperators and to develop an overall view of the patron.

Information that can be retrieved from the player/patron may include oneor more of the following information relating to:

-   -   demographic information    -   point balances    -   available offers    -   win/loss statements    -   casino visit recency and frequency    -   average casino win per visit (known as Average Daily        Theoretical)    -   casino dining choices    -   casino entertainment choices    -   accepted/declined offers    -   large wins    -   casino play preferences    -   play stop limits    -   casino credit line    -   links to other player club members    -   behavioral data, such as website visits (e.g., to various        interfaces to the    -   EcoSystem, other websites), games played (e.g., games offered in        a free play setting), and other behavioral data

Using such information across multiple casinos coupled with public datasources (e.g., using demographic info) and/or private data sources(e.g., Experian credit rating information), algorithms can be used tovalidate other user-provided data and develop holistic information aboutthe patron such as:

-   -   travel plans/affinities    -   entertainment affinities    -   financial status and median income    -   value to other local casinos    -   value to destination casinos    -   overall gaming budgets, recency, frequency, intensity    -   comparison to other patrons    -   other aspects of the player/patron that would be of interest to        other establishments such as financial institutions, automobile        retailers, consumer goods providers, and other entities.

Interfaces and/or data may be provided to such entities to permit theseentities to reach and/or target advertising to these player/patrons.

Taking all this information into consideration, a profile of theindividual patrons can be established, and website advertising, emailmarketing, direct marketing and telemarketing campaigns may be set upbased on these profiles, the holistic data and the basic information.The campaigns may then be run by the website that solicits the playercard information. Alternatively, the profile may be sold to theindividual casinos (where the patron is a current or potential customer)for use on their website and marketing plans.

Although the holistic information on the patron could be used by alltypes of business and industries that utilize online and offlinemarketing campaigns, this information would be particularly valuable tothe following industries:

-   -   casino    -   travel agencies    -   luxury goods    -   hotel    -   airlines    -   junket operators

Game-Based Play

According to another aspect, a method and system may be provided thatallows qualified players in a game system to play games (e.g., playvarious single and multiplayer games of chance with real-time outcomedetermination or pre-determined outcome determination and single andmultiplayer games of skill with real-time outcome determination), to winloyalty points and/or other gambling offers and/or alternate currenciesto participating gambling establishments (e.g., casino, lottery or otherlawful gambling establishments), and non-gambling establishments (e.g.,airline, car rental, credit card, etc. . . . ) over an electronic mediumor network where the end user apparatus is an electronic device (e.g.,Computer, Mobile phone/PDA, Game Consoles, Digital Set-topbox/Interactive TV, Handhelds). Such capabilities may be provided, forexample, by a casino loyalty system (e.g., a CasinoLoyalty system asdiscussed above), a consumer website for attracting potential casinopatrons (e.g., a CasinoBonus system) or any other component of anEcoSystem.

A qualified person (e.g., a gambling patron who is of age) may be eitherinvited to join the system or finds the system by other methods. Aqualified person, according to one embodiment, may be a person who is ofage to participate in lawful games of skill and or chance and is aperson who is or intends to be a member of a gambling establishment's(e.g., casino, lottery or other lawful gambling establishments) playerloyalty club. A qualified player could be invited to join the system viaa multitude of different methods including but not limited to an onlinead, online search engine link, mobile device ad, direct mailsolicitation, a commercial (e.g., as shown on television, radio,satellite radio/TV, movie theater commercial, elevator video message,etc.), an in gambling establishment message or sign, a billboard/outdoorsignage, word of mouth, or by happenstance. Also, a qualified person maybe, for instance, a person who is already a member of a player loyaltyclub, or has the requisite qualifications to become a member.

A qualified person may be allowed to access the system for free orrequired to pay a fee to access to the system or a combination of both.In the case where the player is required to pay to access the system,there may be many methods or business models that are commonly used. Itshould also be noted that the business models listed below are notnecessarily the only ones possible. That said, the business methods orrevenue models may include a “Try and Buy” model, a “Free Web Trial”model, subscription models, among other approaches.

The “Try and Buy” model may be the simplest model to understand, and isalso the model historically associated with the internet game industry.This model is also most similar to the shareware model that has beenaround for many years. Under this model, players may play a trialversion of a game. Trials games are limited in some way, most commonlyby time (a one-hour free trial is typical), but trials may also belimited by features, by number of plays allowed, or by not allowing thisgame to be used to win something or by some other mechanism. Throughoutplay, the player is typically encouraged to purchase the full version ofthe game (“up-sell”). In some variants of this model, the player maycontinue playing the feature limited version indefinitely, in others theplayer must sit through increasingly intrusive reminder notices thatencourage the qualified person to purchase the game.

The Free Web Trial model includes variants on the “try and buy” modelwhich includes offering a free web version of the game which can beplayed within a web browser. Web games can generally played over andover again, however they are typically very limited compared to the“deluxe” downloadable versions, with fewer features, less content, lowerquality sounds & graphics, etc.

There are several types of subscription models in wide-spread use. Forexample, in the “All you can eat” model, the player pays a fixed amountper month in return for unlimited play of all games in the program. Inone version of this model, the user must maintain the subscription inorder to continue playing games. When the subscription ends the player'saccess to the games also ends.

Another subscription model includes the “Book of the month” model, inwhich the player pays a fixed amount each month in return for gettingone (or more) games free. Additional games can generally be purchased ata discount.

In the “VIP membership” model, the player pays a fixed amount each monthin return for special privileges. There may also be a “Pay-for-play/AdSponsored” hybrid model whereby a player inserts currency (cash or cashequivalents), tokens or sweepstakes entries into the game or the gamesystem for each game play. One variant of this model is whereadvertisers, participating gambling establishments (e.g., casino,lottery or other lawful gambling establishments), and non-gamblingestablishments (e.g., airline, car rental, credit card, etc.) can buythe coins, tokens or sweepstakes entries and sponsor a game session thatis then free for the players.

A “Tournament/skill-based” model involves qualified players paying acash entry fee to enter a tournament and play a game. The tournament canbe a small as two players, or as large as thousands of players. Aplayer's score is posted on a leader board, and the winner (or, inlarger tournaments, winners) receives currency (cash or cash equivalentslike free slot play or chance to play for free in the gamblingestablishment), tokens, sweepstakes entries and or loyalty points to thevarious clubs to which they belong. In order to be legal in thelocations where such tournaments are offered, the games must besubstantially skill-based, rather than relying on luck or chance; thusthe name “skill-based” to refer to this economic model.

An “Item-Buy (micro transactions)” model is a model where playerspurchase items within the system. The items are typically electroniccreations like badges, lucky charms and avatars.

According to one embodiment, to qualify as a player, the qualifiedperson completes a registration form whereby he/she is requested toidentify the gambling and non-gambling loyalty club(s) to which theybelong and then input a unique key into a registration form for eachloyalty club that he/she is a member. If they are not a member of aloyalty program and have the desire to be eligible to collect winnings,they can join the loyalty club(s) at that time.

For games that are chance based and require the player to initiate thewager, the system may only allow the player to wager currencies that arelawful (e.g., sweepstakes entries). For games that are substantiallyskill based, the system may allow the player to wager any of the lawfulcurrencies that they have banked in their account.

On behalf of the qualified person, the system confirms their membershipin their declared loyalty clubs by accessing their declared account(s)or, if they are not a member but they wish to join a particular club,the system creates an account on their behalf.

Players can compete in various games and win currency (cash or cashequivalents like free slot play) and or loyalty points to the variousclubs to which they belong. Some games may require an initial wager togain entrance (see above) while others are free to access. Players canparticipate in non-gaming activities to earn currency (cash or cashequivalents like free slot play) and or loyalty points to the variousclubs to which they belong. Examples of how to earn currencies mayinclude the following:

-   -   to Filling out player surveys    -   Viewing advertisements from third party advertisers or        participating in gambling establishments (e.g., casino, lottery        or other lawful gambling establishments), and non-gambling        establishments activities either on property or over a network    -   Agree to receive emails or other communications from third party        advertisers or participating gambling establishments (e.g.,        casino, lottery or other lawful gambling establishments), and        non-gambling establishments    -   Customizing the player's user interface    -   Creating a home page/social networking page    -   Recruiting other qualified players to the system    -   Earning badges or other designations of success within the game        system

Through a set of application interfaces, participating gamblingestablishments (e.g., casino, lottery or other lawful gamblingestablishments), and non-gambling establishments can offer or stakeprizes (e.g., sponsor the game or contest) for each game where the valueof the prize is based on the qualified player's worth or perceived worthto the sponsor.

The qualified player may redeem prizes either online or at a physicalestablishment or they may barter, exchange, auction or give away theirpoints. Through a set of application interfaces, participating gamblingestablishments (e.g., casino, lottery or other lawful gamblingestablishments) in the system can credit or deduct points, offers and orcurrencies based on how the player chooses to treat their prize.

The qualified player may set up a web page in a social networkingenvironment and host their own gaming system whereby other qualifiedplayers can compete in the same manner as the larger game system. Onedifference in such a system is that the player who owns the page isstaking the prizes or using the system tools to allow sponsors to stakethe prizes.

Through a series of tools or application interfaces, the system can alsoallow the qualified player to group other willing qualified playerstogether to diversify risk in a game in exchange for a share of any andall winnings from that game.

The system may also permit advertisers to reach the qualified orpotential players of a casino, or display any other content. Forinstance, the system may have a website through which qualified playersaccess, and ads may be displayed to such players (e.g., responsive toinformation collected regarding the players, their performance, theirdetermined value, etc.). Other information displayed to players mayinclude frequent player points leader boards that display top playersthat have earned frequent player points, and any other gameplay aspects.The system may also be adapted to display non-gameplay aspects relatedto the casino, such as locator information for gaming locations, playerexperiences/stories, chat with other players, and other content thatenhances player experiences.

Further, multiplayer games could be provided that allow differentadvertisements to be displayed based on player location. For instance, amultiplayer game may have multiple sponsors based on geography, or otherparameter (e.g., the player's profile). In another example, playerscountrywide are permitted to play a Bingo game, but winners in theNortheast region (or other location) are permitted to play slots atMohegan Sun (a sponsor) while winners in the Las Vegas area arepermitted to play slots at Harrah's Las Vegas.

Complimentary Offer System

As discussed, a system (e.g., a CompOffer system) may be provided thatpermits a player to receive complimentary offers. In one embodiment,these offers may be offers to the player to travel to or otherwise visita gaming establishment. To this end, a website or other computer-basedinterface may be provided that may permit the player to solicit offersfrom multiple gaming establishments.

According to another aspect, an online system in which multiple gamingestablishments compete for providing an entertainment package to theplayer based on rating information. In one example, package couldinvolve other providers, such as airlines, hotels, restaurants, etc. Apackage that is determined for a particular player could be based onrating of the player, either alone or in combination with otherinformation collected on by the system. The value of the package may bedetermined based on one or more parameters of the player information.

According to one embodiment, the package offered to a player is a betterpackage (e.g., of higher value) as establishments are competing forcustomer (and may have knowledge of each other, and the packages beingoffered). Also, the package offered is more accurate, as it could bebased on more accurate rating information of the player as discussedabove.

Further, the accuracy of the package offered is additionally increased,as it could be based at least in part on information provided by theplayer, including characteristics of desired destination, location, etc.(e.g., I am traveling to Las Vegas on Month, Day, and I like these typesof games, etc.). Also, because the package is based on informationprovided by player, the package is more tailored to player desires, asconventional complimentary packages are typically determined based onlyon what establishment determines as the package, not what player wants.This contrasts to conventional promotions, which are determined based onwhat excess capacity the provider might have, rather than the parameterssupplied by a person/player. Thus, according to one embodiment, a systemmay be provided that includes an interface that accepts playerpreferences, and based on those preferences, determines one or morecomplimentary offers to be presented.

Offers extended to players may also be rule-based, and may be determinedby particular parameters (e.g., Extend offer to a listing of playerstraveling on these dates to location, of average rating greater than Y).Rules may be implemented by the system that can determine under whatconditions offers are made on behalf of a gaming establishment or otherorganization. Further, the system may make available (e.g., through aninterface, an API, or other method) certain searches/queries to gamingestablishment. Such rule-based or search-related functions performed bythe gaming establishment (instead of a potential player) may permit moreeffective marketing promotions (e.g., to raise business levels duringslow periods, to move perishable inventory).

A set of interfaces may be provided that present to the usercomplimentary offers that can be accepted. Such offers may be determinedautomatically based upon the player information, what inventory isavailable, or a combination of both. There may be an associated set ofinterfaces for the organization(s) that provide(s) the offers, which maypermit them to perform functions associated with managing offers. Forinstance, interface functions may permit the organizations to monitor,create, and modify offers provided to players. Organizations may also beprovided tools that permit them to create unsolicited offers to theplayer, which can be presented in an interface of the complimentaryoffer system. Such unsolicited offers may be presented in various ways,including during a particular period of time when the offer isavailable, when the player viewing the complimentary offer systeminterface meets particular criteria, among other ways.

Further, the system may permit marketing to potential players inreal-time. For instance, ads may be displayed to a player in a computerinterface (e.g., in the display of a browser program) and may be based,at least in part, on information relating to the player. For instance,parameters collected from the player based on a complimentary offer thathe/she wishes to receive may be used to determine one or moreadvertisements to be displayed to the player in the interface. Otherinformation collected on the player (e.g., demographics information,behavioral data, etc.) may also be used to determine what advertisementsshould be displayed. Such advertisements may also serve as financialsupport for such a website, and revenue may be generated based on theadvertising performance. Advertisers (e.g., through an advertisingnetwork as discussed above) may choose to target particular players (orclasses of players) via a complimentary offer system and its associatedinterfaces.

The information aggregation system can serve as source of seed valueinformation, from which ticket generation processes can create ticketinformation as needed. The information aggregation systems can alsoserve as location for seed values stored with unique player records,games records, etc. Additionally valuation determinations and/or theunderlying information supporting them can be used as additionalinformation in a ticket generation process.

The processes described above are merely illustrative embodiments of amethod for providing generation of tickets on request. Such illustrativeembodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as anyof numerous other implementations for performing the invention. None ofthe claims set forth below are intended to be limited to any particularimplementation of a method of providing player incentives, unless suchclaim includes a limitation explicitly reciting a particularimplementation.

Processes and methods associated with various embodiments, acts thereofand various embodiments and variations of these methods and acts,individually or in combination, may be defined by computer-readableinstructions tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium, forexample, a non-volatile recording medium, an integrated circuit memoryelement, or a combination thereof. The instructions, as a result ofbeing executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform one or moreof the methods or acts described herein, and/or various embodiments,variations and combinations thereof. Such function include retrievingseed data from any one or more of a player record, a game record, a gamemachine record, a membership record, or an account; calculating anumeric seed value for use in ticket generation; executing a pseudorandom number generation process; implementing a PRNG; calculatingnumeric representations of non-numeric data; merging numeric data toachieve input values for deterministic functions; merging data in apredictable manner to achieve input values; generating a mapping fromseed data to a predetermined outcome as needed; generation a mappingfrom seed data to a predetermined outcome predictably and repeatably;generating ticket creation information; generating representations ofticket entries; transmitting and/or receiving seed information orvalues; transmitting and/or communication ticket creation information;and printing and/or displaying created tickets among other examples.Such instructions may be written in any of a plurality of programminglanguages, for example, Java, Visual Basic, C, C#, or C++, Fortran,Pascal, Eiffel, Basic, COBOL, etc., or any of a variety of combinationsthereof. The computer-readable medium on which such instructions arestored may reside on one or more of the components of a general-purposecomputer described above, and may be distributed across one or more ofsuch components.

The computer-readable medium may be transportable such that theinstructions stored thereon can be loaded onto any computer systemresource to implement the aspects of the present disclosure discussedherein. In addition, it should be appreciated that the instructionsstored on the computer-readable medium, described above, are not limitedto instructions embodied as part of an application program running on ahost computer. Rather, the instructions may be embodied as any type ofcomputer code (e.g., software or microcode) that can be employed toprogram a processor to implement the above-discussed aspects of thepresent disclosure.

It should be appreciated that any single component or collection ofmultiple components of a computer system, for example, the computersystem described below in relation to FIG. 11, that perform thefunctions described with respect to or reference the method can begenerically considered as one or more controllers and/or components thatcontrol the discussed functions. The one or more controllers can beimplemented in numerous ways, such as with dedicated hardware, or usinga processor that is specially programmed using microcode or software toperform the functions recited above.

The above is merely an illustrative embodiment of a ticket generationsystem. Such an illustrative embodiment is not intended to limit thescope of the invention, as any of numerous other implementations of aticket generation system, for example, variations of network topology,host server messaging, distributed computing, are possible and areintended to fall within the scope of the invention. Placement of variousfunctions can occur on one or more computer systems, designated servers,hosts or other configurations. None of the claims set forth below areintended to be limited to any particular implementation of a ticketgeneration system unless such claim includes a limitation explicitlyreciting a particular implementation.

Various embodiments according to the disclosure may be implemented onone or more computer systems (e.g. 1100, FIG. 11). These computersystems may be, for example, general-purpose computers speciallyprogrammed as discussed herein such as those based on Intel PENTIUM-typeprocessor, Motorola PowerPC, Sun UltraSPARC, Hewlett-Packard PA-RISCprocessors, or any other type of processor. It should be appreciatedthat one or more of any type computer system may be used to partially orfully automate generation of ticketed entries according to variousaspects of the disclosure.

For example, various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented asspecialized software executing in a general-purpose computer system 1100such as that shown in FIG. 11. The computer system 1100 may include aprocessor 1106 connected to one or more memory devices 1404, such as adisk drive, memory, or other device for storing data. Memory 1110 istypically used for storing programs and data during operation of thecomputer system 1100. Components of computer system 1100 may be coupledby an interconnection mechanism 1108, which may include one or morebusses (e.g., between components that are integrated within a samemachine) and/or a network (e.g., between components that reside onseparate discrete machines). The interconnection mechanism 1108 enablescommunications (e.g., data, instructions, seed values, playerinformation, game information, etc.) to be exchanged between systemcomponents of system 1100. Computer system 1100 also includes one ormore input devices 1104, for example, a keyboard, mouse, trackball,microphone, touch screen, and one or more output devices 1102, forexample, a printing device, display screen, and/or speaker. In addition,computer system 1100 may contain one or more interfaces (not shown) thatconnect computer system 1100 to a communication network (in addition oras an alternative to the interconnection mechanism 1408.

The storage system 1112, shown in greater detail in FIG. 12, typicallyincludes a computer readable and writeable nonvolatile recording medium1202 in which instructions are stored that define a program to beexecuted by the processor or information stored on or in the medium 1202to be processed by the program. The medium may, for example, be a diskor flash memory. Typically, in operation, the processor causes data tobe read from the nonvolatile recording medium 1202 into another memory1204 that allows for faster access to the information by the processorthan does the medium 1202. This memory 1204 is typically a volatile,random access memory such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) orstatic memory (SRAM). It may be located in storage system 1110, asshown, or in memory system 1204. The processor 1106 generallymanipulates the data within the integrated circuit memory 1110, 1204 andthen copies the data to the medium 1202 after processing is completed. Avariety of mechanisms are known for managing data movement between themedium 1202 and the integrated circuit memory element 1110, 1204, andthe invention is not limited thereto. The invention is not limited to aparticular memory system 1110 or storage system 1112.

The computer system may include specially-programmed, special-purposehardware, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC). Aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in software,hardware or firmware, or any combination thereof. Further, such methods,acts, systems, system elements and components thereof may be implementedas part of the computer system described above or as an independentcomponent.

Although computer system 1100 is shown by way of example as one type ofcomputer system upon which various aspects of the disclosure may bepracticed, it should be appreciated that aspects of the disclosure arenot limited to being implemented on the computer system as shown in FIG.11. Various aspects of the disclosure may be practiced on one or morecomputers having a different architecture or components that that shownin FIG. 11.

Computer system 1100 may be a general-purpose computer system that isprogrammable using a high-level computer programming language. Computersystem 1100 may be also implemented using specially programmed, specialpurpose hardware. In computer system 1100, processor 1106 is typically acommercially available processor such as the well-known Pentium classprocessor available from the Intel Corporation. Many other processorsare available. Such a processor usually executes an operating systemwhich may be, for example, the Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT,Windows 2000 (Windows ME), Windows XP, or Windows Visa operating systemsavailable from the Microsoft Corporation, MAC OS System X available fromApple Computer, the Solaris Operating System available from SunMicrosystems, or UNIX available from various sources. Many otheroperating systems may be used.

The processor and operating system together define a computer platformfor which application programs in high-level programming languages arewritten. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to aparticular computer system platform, processor, operating system, ornetwork. Also, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art thatthe present invention is not limited to a specific programming languageor computer system. Further, it should be appreciated that otherappropriate programming languages and other appropriate computer systemscould also be used.

One or more portions of the computer system may be distributed acrossone or more computer systems 1304-1308, FIG. 13, coupled to acommunications network 1302. These computer systems also may begeneral-purpose computer systems. For example, various aspects of theinvention may be distributed among one or more computer systemsconfigured to provide a service (e.g., servers) to one or more clientcomputers, or to perform an overall task as part of a distributed system(e.g. 1300). For example, various aspects of the invention may beperformed on a client-server system that includes components distributedamong one or more server systems that perform various functionsaccording to various embodiments of the invention. These components maybe executable, intermediate (e.g., IL) or interpreted (e.g., Java) codewhich communicate over a communication network (e.g., the Internet)using a communication protocol (e.g., TCP/IP).

One example distributed installation can include a central ticketgeneration server, and distributed systems that are configured toperform various functions of a ticket generation operation and transmitthe result to the central ticket server. For example, the ticketgeneration server can receive a ticket generation request, and passreceived ticket generation information to a seed value component. Theseed value component can be configured to accept a seed value directly,and/or configured to accept information used to generate a seed value.The seed value component can also be configured to combined multiplereceived values to generate the seed value. In some implementations, thevalues are combined in a known fashion, so that the result of thecombination is knowable and repeatable, and in some example knowableeven before the request is made. For instance, it can be determined fora player with a static seed value, that the player may participated onceon any day of a given week, the system can identify in advance theresulting combination of that player's seed and any of the day values tobe combined. The output of the combination is then knowable, and can beused for auditing and compliance testing as examples. The seed componentcan also be configured to translate non-numeric information into numericfor subsequent use. The translation can occur before, during, of afterthe combination operation.

A deterministic component can be employed to generate a random valuefrom the output of the combination, and/or any seed value delivereddirectly. In one embodiment, the result of the deterministic operationalthough random is deterministic. The output of the deterministicoperation can be known as can the output of the seed component. Amapping component can be employed to resolve a mapping to a an outcomefor a game using the output of the deterministic function. The mappingcomponent can also be configured to receive additional information toperform resolution of the mapping. The mapping can also be configured toan outcome record, that can be populated with an outcome, and in oneexample can be populated with a placeholder. The placeholder can alsolead to another record, from which an outcome can be obtained. In someexamples, the other record can store an outcome, permitting the outcometo be associated after ticket creation information is generated, throughfor example another game. Additionally the other record can store apredetermined outcome, the can be resolved after ticket creationinformation is generated, while still maintaining the predeterminednature of the outcome. A ticket creation component can received theresults of the operations of any of or all of the other components togenerate ticket creation information. The ticket creation informationcan include a representation of a ticket itself. In some examples, therepresentation can be printed or displayed to a player directly. In someembodiments, the ticket creation component generates information thatenables another system to create an actual ticket. For example a gamesystem in communication with a network connected to the ticket creationcomponent can received an process ticket creation information togenerate a ticket representation that can be printed or displayed.

It should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to executingon any particular system or group of systems. Also, it should beappreciated that the invention is not limited to any particulardistributed architecture, network, or communication protocol. Thecomponents discussed above can reside on one system, on multiple systemsto provide examples.

Various embodiments of the present invention may be programmed using anobject-oriented programming language, such as SmallTalk, Java, C++, Ada,or C# (C-Sharp). Other object-oriented programming languages may also beused. Alternatively, functional, scripting, and/or logical programminglanguages may be used. Various aspects of the invention may beimplemented in a non-programmed environment (e.g., documents created inHTML, XML or other format that, when viewed in a window of a browserprogram, render aspects of a graphical-user interface (GUI) or performother functions). Various aspects of the invention may be implemented asprogrammed or non-programmed elements, or any combination thereof.

Having now described some illustrative embodiments of the invention, itshould be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing ismerely illustrative and not limiting, having been presented by way ofexample only. Numerous modifications and other illustrative embodimentsare within the scope of one of ordinary skill in the art and arecontemplated as falling within the scope of the invention. Inparticular, although many of the examples presented herein involvespecific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should beunderstood that those acts and those elements may be combined in otherways to accomplish the same objectives. Acts, elements and featuresdiscussed only in connection with one embodiment are not intended to beexcluded from a similar role in other embodiments. Further, for the oneor more means-plus-function limitations recited in the following claims,the means are not intended to be limited to the means disclosed hereinfor performing the recited function, but are intended to cover in scopeany means, known now or later developed, for performing the recitedfunction.

As used herein, whether in the written description or the claims, theterms “comprising”, “including”, “containing”, “characterized by” andthe like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean includingbut not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and“consisting essentially of” respectively, shall be closed or semi-closedtransitional phrases, as set forth, with respect to claims, in theUnited States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures(Eighth Edition 2^(nd) Revision, May 2004), Section 2111.03.

Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, “a”, “b” “c”etc., in the claims to modify or otherwise identify a claim element doesnot by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claimelement over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method areperformed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claimelement having a certain name from another element having a same name(but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

1. A computer implemented method for generating ticketed entries into agame, the method comprising the acts of: providing for compensationrules governing the game having the ticketed entry; accepting, by acommunication interface, a ticket request, the ticket request includingticket generation information; generating deterministically, by a ticketserver, an input value based, at least in part, on the ticket generationinformation; calculating, by the ticket server, an output value, whereinthe act of calculating the output value includes an act of inputting theinput value into a deterministic function; obtaining, by the ticketserver, a game outcome according to the compensation rules using theoutput value; and providing for creation of a ticket for the gameoutcome.
 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an actof accepting additional information associated with the ticketgeneration request.
 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the actof obtaining the game outcome according to the compensation rules usingthe output value includes an act of selecting, by the ticket server, aset of compensation rules using the additional information.
 4. Themethod according to claim 3, wherein the additional informationcomprises at least one of a value estimate for a player, at least aportion of information underlying the value estimate, a player status, aplayer membership level, at a portion of information associated with aplayer record, a referral network status, a referral network value, aglobal player value estimate, a global player membership level, anaffiliated location membership status, an online gaming membershipstatus, a social network membership status, an affiliated locationmembership level, an online gaming membership level, and a socialnetwork membership level.
 5. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising an act of storing the ticket generation information.
 6. Themethod according to claim 5, wherein the act of storing the ticketgeneration information includes an act of storing the information as atleast a part of one of a player record, a ticket record, a game record,and a game machine record.
 7. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe compensation rules define at least one prize matrix.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the ticket generation information ispre-printed on another ticket.
 9. The method according to claim 1,further comprising an act of communicating a ticket over a communicationinterface.
 10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising anact of creating a ticket generation value.
 11. The method according toclaim 10, wherein the act of creating the ticket generation valueincludes an act of creating a unique seed value.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 2, wherein the act of generating, by a processor, theinput value based, at least in part, on the ticket generationinformation, includes an act of combining the ticket generationinformation and at least a portion of the additional information. 13.The method according to claim 12, further comprising an act ofgenerating a numerical representation of the additional information. 14.The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of calculating, by aprocessor, the output value, further includes an act of inputting theinput value into a pseudo random number generator, wherein the outputvalue comprises a predictable randomized value, wherein the samerandomized value is output upon the input of the same input value. 15.The method according to claim 14, wherein the act of obtaining, by aprocessor, a game outcome from the compensation rules using the outputvalue, includes an act of employing the randomized output value as atleast one of a look up value into a compensation table, an index into acompensation table, an index into a prize matrix, a look up into a prizematrix, a value for retrieving a database record, a value for retrievinga row of a table, and an input into a mapping function.
 16. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the act of providing for creation of theticket for the game outcome includes an act of associating, indirectly,the game outcome with ticket creation information.
 17. The methodaccording to claim 16, wherein the act of associating, indirectly, thegame outcome with ticket creation information includes act of: creatingan access code; permitting access to the game outcome by accepting aninput of the access code.
 18. The method according to claim 16, whereinthe act of providing for creation of the ticket for the game outcomeincludes an act of associating, directly, the game outcome with ticketcreation information.
 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein theact of associating, directly, the game outcome with ticket creationinformation includes an act of encoding the outcome in the ticketcreation information.
 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein theact of encoding the outcome does not include encoding game playinformation in the ticket creation information.
 21. The method accordingto claim 1, further comprising an act of creating a ticket for entryinto the game.
 22. The method according to claim 1, wherein thedeterministic function comprises a pseudo random number generator. 23.The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of accepting, by acommunication interface, a ticket request, includes an act of acceptingthe ticket request from a game machine with the ticket generationinformation associated with the game machine.
 24. The method accordingto claim 23, wherein the game machine includes at least one of a videolottery terminal, a pull-tab game machine, and a Class II gaming machinehaving predetermined outcomes.
 25. The method according to claim 1,wherein the ticket generation information comprises the input value. 26.The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of derivingthe input value from the ticket generation information.
 27. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the ticket generation informationcomprises a static portion and a dynamic portion.
 28. The methodaccording to claim 27, wherein the input value is based on at least aportion of the static portion and at least a portion of the dynamicportion.
 29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the dynamicportion is deterministically dynamic.
 30. The method according to claim1, wherein the compensation rules define predetermined outcomes for thegame.
 31. A computer-readable medium having computer-readableinstructions stored thereon that, as a result of being executed by aprocessor, instruct the computer to perform a method for generating ondemand ticketed entries into a game, the method comprising acts of:providing for compensation rules governing the game having the ticketedentry; accepting a ticket request, the ticket request including a ticketgeneration value; generating an input value based, at least in part, onthe ticket generation value; calculating an output value, wherein theact of calculating the output value includes an act of inputting theinput value into a deterministic function; obtaining a game outcome fromthe compensation rules using the output value; and providing forcreation of a ticket for the game outcome.
 32. A system for printingticketed entries into a predetermined outcome game, the systemcomprising: a ticket creation component configured to generate a ticketfrom ticket creation information where the ticket comprises an entryinto the game, and the entry is associated with a predetermined outcomein response to a ticket generation request; and a communicationcomponent configured to receive ticket creation information generated byan outcome retrieval component, wherein the outcome retrieval componentis configured to: receive a ticket generation request and associatedticket generation information, process the ticket generation informationto obtain a deterministic value from the ticket generation information,retrieve a predetermined outcome for the game using the deterministicvalue, wherein the predetermined outcome is defined prior to the ticketgeneration request from compensation rules for the game, and transmitticket creation information associated with the predetermined outcome.33. The system of claim 32, wherein the ticket creation component isconfigured to print a physical ticket.
 34. The system of claim 32,wherein the ticket creation component is further configured to processthe received ticket creation information, and generate a ticketrepresentation.